King Charles and Queen Camilla met by crowds in Poundbury

The King was accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, as they met local developers, excited schoolchildren and members of the public.

A crowd gathered in Poundbury waiting patiently ahead of the arrival in the hope of catching a glimpse or a photo of the royal couple.

King Charles greets the crowds in Poundbury (Image: Ken Hewitt)

The visit of Their Majesties marked the completion of Queen Mother Square and the official opening of the Duke of Edinburgh Garden in Poundbury.

The King and Queen arrived in Poundbury at around 11.30 am on Tuesday, June 27 2023, flying in via helicopter.

Upon arrival, they met with civic dignitaries and developers at Queen Mother Square, where two bronze reliefs of Their Majesties themselves were unveiled by Poundbury Development Director Andrew Hamilton.

"They very nearly unveiled themselves", the King joked, as Mr Hamilton opened the curtains to a gust of wind.

King Charles and Camilla seeing their bronze reliefs unveiled for the first time (Image: PA)

They then met some members of the waiting crowd, shaking hands and greeting those who had travelled from near and far.

Matt, Gemma and their eight-year-old daughter Grace travelled from Sydney, Australia to meet Gemma's parents in Poundbury and were delighted to meet the King and Queen, with young Grace holding up a banner saying "I am from Australia".

Gemma (left), Grace (bottom centre) and Matt (right) timed their visit from Australia to visit Gemma's parents Robert (back right) and Sue (back left) (Image: Tom Lawrence)

Gemma, Grace, Matt, Sue and Robert meeting King Charles (Image: Tom Lawrence)

Gemma said: "Grace is going to email her teacher in Sydney and tell her she met the King."

The King and Queen then untied a ribbon officially opening the new Duke of Edinburgh Garden.

In the garden the royal couple were then serenaded by pupils of Damers First School in Dorchester, singing their coronation song "Sing for the King".

The King and Queen meeting the Children of Damers First School after their performance of Sing for the King (Image: PA)

Outgoing headteacher Catherine Smith said: "It was really lovely, we practised this song for the coronation and I did tell the children in the school at the time, if they sang it well enough and he heard about it, he would probably come and listen to it for himself.

"It was such a treat this morning to say to the children, he has heard how well you have sung it and you can now sing it for the King himself.

"They were only told at 10.20 this morning that they would be singing it for the King."

Pupil Mary Peats, aged eight, said: "She [the Queen] said to the boys, 'do the girls boss you around because you are quite outnumbered by the girls?', he said 'yes' and we all started giggling.

"It was very exciting."

Mary's mum Susanna Peats watched on from the sidelines and was visibly emotional after the performance.

Damers First School student Mary Peats, 8, with mother Susanna Peats (Image: Tom Lawrence)

She said: "They were fantastic, you always wonder whether you will see the King because of the connection with Poundbury, but I didn't expect her to sing for the King.

"I just feel incredibly proud and what a special opportunity and great memories for all of them."

Finally, the King and Queen observed a bronze bust of the King's late father the Duke of Edinburgh, meeting with sculptor Frances Segelman, before they left the crowds and enjoyed a private tour of Poundbury.

The King and Queen observing a bust of The late Duke of Edinburgh (Image: PA)

Charles and Camilla in front of the bust of The late Prince Phillip (Image: PA)