London – King Charles III, along with his son and heiress William and his wife Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, stopped to greet supporters outside Buckingham Palace on Friday afternoon, just one day before the king’s coronation ceremony.
Fans of the royal family gathered along The Mall, a wide, tree-lined avenue that leads directly to the front gate of Buckingham Palace, and pushed up against the ramparts as they watched the monarch. Bentley State Limousine Roll towards the palace.
To their delight, the convoy of cars stopped and the king, prince and princess got out and headed for the fence.
Toby Melville/AP
People have been camped out for several nights already to reserve prime viewing spots along The Mall, which makes up about half the way Saturday’s coronation processions as the king and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla Transfers are made to and from Westminster Abbey.
The crowd’s reaction was shocking as the royals emerged from their cars, with some chanting “God save the King” and “Hip, thigh hooray!”
The King and the Prince and Princess of Wales worked on opposite sides of the mall, welcoming people from all over the world, including from as far away as the US and Thailand.
Toby Melville/Pool/Getty
Two women who actually exchanged a few words with King after spending two nights camping at the mall told CBS News it was a “truly amazing” experience.
“I told him, ‘Congratulations for tomorrow,'” said Joanne, who didn’t want to give her full name, “and he turned to us and shook hands.”
“He asked me if it was an overnight one, and my hair was sticking out, and I said, ‘Yes!'” He bowed and shook my hand.”
The royal family’s security personnel urged viewers to put their phones down to enjoy the moment, according to the BBC.
Shortly after the three royals appeared, they returned to their cars, continuing towards Buckingham Palace.
CBS News’ Emmet Lyons contributed to this report.
“Infuriatingly humble web fan. Writer. Alcohol geek. Passionate explorer. Evil problem solver. Incurable zombie expert.”
