The monarch expresses his joy following an unexpected gesture from the New Zealand rugby team at Buckingham Palace.
King Charles was taken by surprise when the New Zealand Black Ferns rugby team offered him a spontaneous and heartwarming group hug during their visit to Buckingham Palace. The joyful moment unfolded as the monarch greeted the team in the 1844 room.
One of the players asked Charles if it would be alright to give him a hug, to which he responded with a delighted, "Why not?" The players then surrounded the King in a bear hug, a gesture that visibly moved him.
In a statement released by the Palace, Charles’s gratitude was clear. "Thank you, @blackferns, for dropping into Buckingham Palace during your end of year tour!" the statement read. The event occurred just before the Black Ferns’ match against the Red Roses at Twickenham.
This touching moment came shortly after Catherine shared her uplifting news of being "cancer-free," following her diagnosis earlier in the year, just a month after King Charles had revealed his own health struggles.
