I spoke to Royal Family superfans waiting to catch a glimpse of King Charles during his special visit to Lichfield Cathedral
05:44, 28 Oct 2025
I've stood two feet away from Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, in a Birmingham gymnasium.
I've seen Princess Anne touch down in Bromsgrove in a chopper and watched Prince Harry make his escape in a Royal Range Rover.
However, until today - eight years into my journalism career - I'd never come across King Charles.
He had long evaded entering my Royal sticker collection.
Not that the Royal Family thrills me the way it does for many others (though I've always thought Princess Diana had an ethereal, transcendent-like quality that would've undoubtedly left me star-struck).
But I do enjoy reporting on Royal visits - even if I'm not a 'fan' - not for the pomp, but for the people.
For the families wrapped up in big scarves, usually standing in the cold for far too long, but still waving their Union Jacks with steady enthusiasm, never letting smiles drop from their faces.
For the kids whose excitement never falters even when their long-awaited royal encounter lasts all of five seconds - like it did today, when the King finally arrived at Lichfield Cathedral.
READ MORE: King Charles live as hundreds turn up for rare West Midlands visit
Hundreds and, by the end, almost certainly a thousand people had queued for His Majesty's long-awaited return to the West Midlands after he was forced to cancel a visit to the region as a result of his cancer treatment.
Royal superfan Dawn Guest, 75, and her cousin Angela Carswell, 65, were amongst the first 200-or-so in line, waiting to be allowed inside the cathedral grounds, hoping to catch a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth ll's son.
Dawn, who had seen King Charles on two occasions previously, now preparing for a third, had set her alarm for 6am just to be there.
"We’ve been here since about 8am," said Dawn, travelling from Burntwood. "I’m hoping we will get in. I’d like to go into the cathedral, but we’re not allowed.”
Angela added: “I’ve met his brother, Edward, in Birmingham, when I did the Duke of Edinburgh years ago. We’re really excited to see him.”
For their commitment, the pair were eventually allowed into the grounds, past armed police and security, as did hundreds of others who had patiently waited in line.
For Olivia Byrne and her dad, James, the King's visit was a great way to start half-term. "It's half-term fun," said James, a former Navy man. "Something a bit different."
"Always enjoy the pomp and ceremony. Feels very British, doesn’t it? We got up about 6.30am. We’re excited. We sometimes see Prince William from afar at the Villa.”
Thi Huyen Thuong Truong, 22, waved her Union Jack enthusiastically alongside friends Hai Thi Hoang Duong, 49, and Bang Nam Tran, 46.
“We live here, I’m from Vietnam," explained Thi. "I’ve never seen [The King] before. We’re so excited to be here today. We are ready! I got up early this morning to be here and then we rushed here to get into the queue. We didn’t think it would be that long.”
Queen Elizabeth will "always" be in her heart, she said, as her favourite member of the Royal Family - a touching reminder of the late Queen's global reach.
One local found her own inventive reason to be there. Holly Smith, 37, decided to combine the royal visit with walking her springer spaniel, Bob.
"I needed to take him for a walk anyway, so I figured we may as well swing by to see the King," she said. "I mean, if I’m going to be picking up dog muck, I may as well do it in The King’s presence, right?"
Jo Hickey and her grandson James came armed with a well-loved collection of flags. "They’re probably from the Silver Jubilee, if I’m honest," she joked. "No, I think they’re from the [King's] coronation."
She said the pair were awake "very early" as James wanted to see The King after seeing Prince William at the Villa game on Sunday.
When King Charles finally arrived, led by a police convoy, he was ushered inside the cathedral in under five minutes following a brief chat with those patiently waiting in the cold.
"Is that it?" one woman behind me groaned. Others, however, were thrilled just to have a caught a glimpse of the 76-year-old.
It was all over in seconds, but for the majority of people in attendance, it was an occasion worth seeing. They'd waited, waved and watched, proud to be part of a fleeting bit of royal history.
In true British fashion, they queued for an age, moaned occasionally about the wait, but still thought it was a lovely day out.