King Charles III has been defended by his fans after his security guard told his well-wishers at Buckingham Palace to put their phones away.
As the new monarch greeted the large crowds on Friday, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, he was seen shaking hands with the public.
While King Charles thanked people for their condolences, one of his security officers was seen gesturing his hand over a few people’s phones which were directed towards the monarch.
In one instance, the guard pushed down the phone of a woman who was filming the King. There were also multiple occasions where the officer told the members of the public to “put [their] phones down” and “enjoy the moment”.
On social media, multiple Twitter users defended the security guard and expressed how inappropriate it was for people to be taking photos of the King in the first place.
“The phones in King Charles’s face at Buckingham Palace. Disgusting,” one wrote.
“How f***ing ignorant are those people at Buckingham Palace shaking hands with King Charles with one hand and recording him on their phones with the other,” another added. “The elderly are the only ones that showed proper respect. They shouldn’t need to be told to put phones down by security.”
A third person wrote: “What are all those people filming King Charles on their mobile phones outside Buckingham Palace going to do with the footage? People filming him whilst shaking hands with a King for what presumably will be the only times in their lives; just record yourself off the news instead.”
Outside of the palace, the King was accompanied by his wife Camilla, Queen Consort. They also viewed some of the tributes to Queen Elizabeth, which included a large collection of multi-coloured floral bouquets.
In honour of the Queen’s successor, multiple people in the crowd screamed “God Save the King”, which was first adopted as the UK and Commonwealth’s national anthem in September 1745 during the reign of George III.
The King also announced that a period of “Royal Mourning” for the Queen has begun and will be observed until seven days after her funeral.
On Friday, the King gave a televised address and discussed his “feelings of profound sorrow” about the Queen’s death. As he paid tribute to his mother, he acknowledged her “warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people”.
“To my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you,” he added at the end of his statement. “Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years. May ‘flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
