King Charles has been spotted grinning from ear to ear after he received a massive hug from a couple of rugby stars.
He got wedged in between the Black Ferns from New Zealand at Buckingham Palace who are over here to take on England’s Red Roses.
Winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga was determined to go in for the hug and before he knew it Charles was in a scrum.
He giggled with excitement after he was heard saying: ‘Hug, why not’.
He then said: ‘I much appreciated this chance to meet you and have such a warm hug from most of you,’ adding ‘very healing’.
While champagne was drunk at the reception, the sportswomen opted for fruit juice and water and Charles found this hilarious.
He joked: ‘I’m so pleased to have this opportunity to greet you all, for a short moment – apparently not to be able to give you a drink.’
Charles also performed a hongi, a traditional Maori symbolic greeting of pressing of noses, with Allan Bunting, the Black Ferns’ head coach and director of rugby.
The players also performed a waiata, a traditional welcome song, after Charles expressed his sympathy following the recent death of New Zealand’s Maori King Tuheitia.
The New Zealand side take on their English opponents this weekend at Twickenham in a rematch of the 2022 Rugby World Cup final that the Kiwis won on home ground.
He confessed to the group that he played in the second row during his rugby days at school and said he broke his nose playing the sport.
Charles said: ‘It was the worst position, it was a bit dangerous sometimes.’
When he talked more to the group he asked them if they ‘stick to a diet’ and she replied: ‘Do I look like someone who sticks to a diet?’
Charles alongside Queen Camilla will visit Australia as they kick off their tour next month.
But he will not travel to New Zealand and said: ‘I’m extremely sorry I can’t come to New Zealand later in October because of doctor’s orders, but I hope there’ll be another excuse to come before not too long.’
