Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Come and see us soon for tea, Charles told Titchmarsh a day before becoming King

The 73-year-old was formally confirmed as the nation’s new monarch during a meeting of the Accession Council on Saturday.

Benjamin Cooper
Sunday 11 September 2022 07:06 BST
Charles invited his friend Alan Titchmarsh to ‘come and see us soon for tea’ on his final day before becoming King (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Charles invited his friend Alan Titchmarsh to ‘come and see us soon for tea’ on his final day before becoming King (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Charles invited his friend Alan Titchmarsh to “come and see us soon for tea” the day before becoming King.

The prince spent Wednesday working and hosting guests at Dumfries House in Cumnock, the broadcaster and gardener said.

He said that, after dinner at the East Ayrshire home, the heir to the throne and his guests had coffee in a tapestry-lined gallery as they were played “jaunty Scottish airs” on a guitar and penny whistle.

“The prince tapped his foot in time with the music before giving the man on the whistle a bottle of Scotch and the woman on the guitar a bottle of champagne, chatting casually to both,” Mr Titchmarsh wrote in The Sunday Telegraph.

“The recital was short, the applause genuine, and, after making his way around the room, shaking hands with almost everyone there, smiling, thanking them for coming and encouraging them in their endeavours, the prince headed for the exit.

“Because I stood by the door, he shook my hand last of all and said ‘Come and see us soon for tea’. I thanked him and he left the room as Duke of Rothesay, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and assorted other titles, unaware that he was doing so for the very last time. He was happy; it had been a good day.

“The next day, he woke up early as usual, but by the middle of the afternoon those ancient appellations would be redistributed among more junior members of his family. Prince William became Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. Prince Charles would have but one title: The King.”

King Charles III was formally confirmed as the nation’s new monarch during a meeting of the Accession Council on Saturday.

The Queen’s coffin will begin its journey to its final resting place when it travels from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Sunday morning.

In London, Charles will meet Baroness Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, at Buckingham Palace, and later host High Commissioners and their spouses, from countries where he is head of state, in the royal residence’s Bow Room.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in