King Charles put a smile on a group of unsuspecting runners’ faces when he stopped by their parkrun event being held on his Sandringham country estate at the weekend
King Charles stunned local joggers when he made a surprise appearance at their parkrun on the Sandringham estate.
The monarch spent time at his country home in Norfolk at the weekend, and he decided to stop by the café where he spent time chatting to the astounded group. While Charles didn’t lace up his trainers of his own for the occasion, he was more than happy to pose for a photograph with the runners – which was later shared on parkrun’s official account on X.
The image shows the King wearing cream trousers and a smart brown winter coat as he joined the participants of the ‘Sandringham 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer’. The event, held on the last Saturday of each month, is part of a national initiative supporting people impacted by cancer, along with their families.
“Not every day you get royal approval at parkrun. This morning, His Majesty The King joined Sandringham parkrunners in the café to offer his congratulations, including to the Sandringham 5k Your Way group as they marked their one-year anniversary,” the caption read.
Sophie Hansell, ambassador for the parkrun, said nobody knew the King was coming, and told the BBC : “I was just in shock, I think I stood with my mouth in aghast for a minute.” She further revealed that a member of staff at Sandringham had written a letter to the King inviting him to January’s event.
The runners had gathered in the restaurant area when the King snuck in to surprise them. “They just set up the restaurant, so it was quite informal, and he came in through the kitchen door,” Sophie said. There were about 18 members who ended up meeting the monarch.
She further shared that she and other members of the group could relate to what he was going through, having experienced cancer themselves. King Charles was diagnosed with cancer last February and began treatment soon afterwards.
She said: “He was really engaging. I think a lot of the people who spoke to him said that he seemed to understand what it was like [cancer], and so he could really talk on the level of people’s treatment and their recovery.
“As much as you can empathise from an outsider’s perspective, it is completely different having gone through it [cancer] yourself.” Following his surprising parkrun appearance, the King later attended the service at St Mary the Virgin church near his Norfolk estate on Sunday.
Charles, 76, greeted delighted members of the public outside the church in Flitcham, and smiled and waved at the crowds. He was accompanied by Reverend Canon Paul Williams as they walked into the church together, but his wife Queen Camilla was notably absent from the church service.
