King Charles and senior royals were still hard at work yesterday after a long weekend of Coronation celebrations.
The monarch, 74, broke ground for a new laboratory to help to speed up the development of net zero aviation in his first official engagement since being crowned.
He toured Cambridge University’s Whittle Laboratory, which has recently secured funding to develop a new £58million lab.
As he walked to perform the breaking of the ground, where a lump of mud was visible on the grass, he teased: “Don’t tell me it’s already been done?”
The green-fingered royal joked before digging up the turf: “It’s very unfair. I was rather looking forward to doing a bit of gardening.”
But he still had time to help a dignitary whose heel was stuck in the grass. Dame Polly Courtice, emeritus director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, said: “He was very kind. He gallantly supported me.”
Afterwards, the King and Queen Camilla, 75, were expected to retire to the King’s Norfolk estate at Sandringham last night for a few days of rest and relaxation.
Both are said to be “extremely” tired but “so proud” of the past few days, the Telegraph reported.
The Queen is expected to follow in the footsteps of straight-talking Prince Philip as royal consort.
One former adviser said: “Philip wasn’t shy in sharing his views and people will be receptive to it when the Queen does the same, because we, as a nation, like common sense and plain speaking.”
Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed 500 “Coronation champions” into the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
Kate, 41, and Sophie, 58, dazzled in blue at the event, which celebrated volunteers, military personnel and members of the public.
One guest among the 8,000 invited, 93-year-old Dame Elizabeth Watts, told William, 40, how she slept on the pavement for three nights to see his grandmother’s coronation, which was one of three she has experienced in her lifetime. William and Kate were introduced to representatives from the Scouts, the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and the South Wales Police, but he was soon ushered over to meet Elizabeth.
Dame Elizabeth, of Solihull, West Mids, revealed: “I came to Elizabeth’s coronation and slept on the pavement for three nights.
“I had measles for George’s coronation when I was seven. Of course, there was no television but we had an accumulator radio.
“We watched [Charles’s Coronation] at home, and on Sunday we had a street party.”
She added: “I was nominated by St John Ambulance Service because I’ve done 79 years of voluntary service and when I was invited I was just amazed.
“I joined as a cadet and have been the deputy commissioner.”
