King Charles offered free haircut during first public engagement since Queen’s funeral

UK

King Charles and the Queen Consort have carried out their first official engagement together since royal mourning ended.

Hundreds of people lined the streets in Dunfermline to greet the couple as they left the city chambers.

They were seen chatting, smiling and shaking hands with people who had waited patiently for their arrival – with the monarch even being offered a free haircut.

When asked if he would like to go into a local barber’s shop, King Charles smiled and said “next time”.

The crowds were “thrilled” with the royal visit. Teacher Carol Williams, 52, who was waiting to catch a glimpse of the couple, said “it’s such an honour for Dunfermline to be his first visit as the new King”.

It was the first time King Charles and the Queen Consort had carried out a public engagement since the Queen’s funeral on 19 September.

Before spending time with the crowds, the royals had attended an official council meeting where the King formally marked the conferral of city status on Dunfermline and signed a guest book.

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During the ceremony, the King said he was “delighted” when it was announced the town would become a city.

He said he hoped people would feel a “real sense of pride in this new chapter”.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort greet members of the public as they attend an official council meeting at the City Chambers in Dunfermline, Fife, to formally mark the conferral of city status on the former town, ahead of a visit to Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary. Picture date: Monday October 3, 2022.
Britain's King Charles greets people at an official ceremony to mark Dunfermline as a city, in Dunfermline, Scotland, Britain, October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

The Fife city was one of eight places to be awarded its new status as part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was also at the chambers for the royal engagement.

King Charles and the Queen Consort then visited Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary and to see the resting place of Robert the Bruce.

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King Charles III and the Queen Consort attend an official council meeting at the City Chambers in Dunfermline, Fife, to formally mark the conferral of city status on the former town, ahead of a visit to Dunfermline Abbey to mark its 950th anniversary. Picture date: Monday October 3, 2022.
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The King and Queen Consort attend the council meeting in Dunfermline
King Charles III and the Queen Consort wave as they leave Dunfermline Abbey, after a visit to mark its 950th anniversary, and after attending a meeting at the City Chambers in Dunfermline, Fife, where the King formally marked the conferral of city status on the former town. Picture date: Monday October 3, 2022.
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The royal couple wave to the crowd as they leave Dunfermline Abbey

They were again greeted by crowds of well-wishers and met officials from Historic Scotland to learn more about the conservation of the site.

The King and his wife will be hosting a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh later on Monday to celebrate British South Asian communities.

They are expected to meet between 200 and 300 guests of British Indian, Pakistani, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Maldivian heritage from across the UK.

The event will recognise the contribution many from these communities have made to the NHS, arts, media, education, business and the armed forces.

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