King and Queen’s visit to Jersey not dampened by rain

Crowds in Jersey braved strong wind and rain to catch a glimpse of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their first visit to the island since the King’s coronation.

The royal couple were greeted by a 21-gun salute from Jersey’s 1781 Militia at People’s Park when they arrived before moving on to a special sitting of the States and Royal Court.

They then toured a special Jersey expo at Weighbridge Place where they learned about local producers, businesses and the island’s journey to net zero.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were presented with gifts including seven Jersey cows and locally-laid duck eggs.

King Charles presented new King’s Colours to the Jersey Sea Cadets in recognition of their 75th anniversary, before finishing his official duties off with a parade from local military groups, scouts and guides, emergency services and others.

The couple carried out a number of walkabouts to meet islanders who had turned out to greet them.

The King and Queen will stay on the island overnight before moving on to Guernsey on Tuesday – it is the first time a British monarch has slept on the island in more than 350 years.

The rain may have drenched the thousands of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the royals but it did not dampen their spirits in the slightest.

Carmen, 11, said she was “waving really fast” with excitement and the rain “made it more memorable”.

She said: “I was laughing – it doesn’t happen every day you can see the King.”

Carmen had a message for the royal couple: “Thank you for coming, you made everyone really happy and I see smiles everywhere.”

People who got to speak to the royals or shake hands also spoke of their excitement.

Islander Pat Le Ruez said she told the King that she had bought a Union Flag coat “especially” for his visit.

She said she shook his hand and told him how handsome he was and he responded: “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Jersey companies got the chance to showcase their crafts to the royals at Weighbridge Place in St Helier as part of the island’s expo event.

John Garton, from Genuine Jersey, said the expo showcased “all the things Jersey’s really good at”, including Jersey heifers, Jersey salt and a wildflower meadow with five types of beehives.

The King and Queen were presented with various gifts including seven Jersey heifers and locally-laid duck eggs.

The duck eggs were an update to an 800-year-old custom of giving two dead ducks on a silver platter to the monarch.

BBC reporter Laura Price said “you could tell by the smile on his face he was very pleased to be receiving two eggs” rather than the traditional gift.