King Charles has began his Royal tour of Yorkshire today, starting in Bradford, The King then made a trip to visit Leeds Central Library where hundreds of people waited to get a glimpse at the new monarch. Crowds lined the streets, spilling into the roads in anticipation of The King's arrival.
His Majesty was due to arrive in the city at 2pm but due to a late arrival in Bradford, he arrived around 2.30pm. People whooped and cheered when the first of the Royal motorcade came past the Raddison hotel and onto the art gallery forecourt.
The King began his visit to Leeds, viewing some of 'The World Reimagined Globes' at Leeds Central Library and Art Gallery, which have been on display since the end of September
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The King then met with young achievers, including the Leeds Children's Mayor. His Majesty was also introduced to members of the Jamaican and wider West Indian community and had a tour of the Jamaica Society Leeds' Rebellion to Romance exhibition.
Clara and Chantelle, two Leeds students said they had no idea what all the crowds were for. Clara said: "I feel I saw it on TikTok, I've never been before, I didn't even know what was going on."
LeedsLive spent the day with crowds in the city centre, asking them for their reactions to Charles' first visit to Leeds as the King.
We also spoke with the Royal British Legion volunteers, who thought the atmosphere was a bit quiet.
They said: "It's quite quiet, more quiet than I expected, I think if this was The Queen there would be more fanfare."
Crowds began to gather early in the day, with the weather looking gloomy and grey. Hundreds of people began trying to get the best vantage points to see a glimpse of The King.
The weather turned brighter just moments before he arrived and the whole crowd cheered in celebration of His Majesty.
King Charles met with Leeds dignitaries, including the Lord Mayor of Leeds, the leader of Leeds City Council James Lewis and the CEO of the Council, Tom Riordan.
He was visiting the gallery to look at an exhibition of The World Reimagined globes, an installation created for Black History Month to raise awareness of the UK's involvement with the transatlantic slave trade.
After around an hour inside the gallery, the King re-emerged to once again, huge crowds before he got into the Royal Bentley and the motorcade left the city.
Buses and public transport was affected, with diversions in place on the Headrow and due to the Kings appearance being late, this diversion went on longer than expected.
One resident said: "It was causing lot of inconvenience for passengers including me. A lot of older age people had to walk all the way from Leeds Bus station"
All roads returned to normal following The Kings departure. Leeds City Council hailed it as a landmark day for the city.
Speaking after The King’s visit, Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Robert W Gettings MBE JP said: “It’s been a great honour to welcome His Majesty The King to Leeds today and to have such a unique and prestigious opportunity to share with him some of the extraordinary accomplishments of our city and its communities.
“We are incredibly proud of our city and what it stands for and the initiatives we have shared with The King today highlight the values of diversity, cultural excellence and commitment to bettering the lives of our young people which so exemplify what Leeds is all about.”
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- Jeremy Clarkson says King Charles should have his coronation in Sheffield
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