King Charles met humanitarian aid workers, staff and volunteers from the Disasters and Emergency Committee in west London on Wednesday to thank them for their efforts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The monarch has been a long-time supporter of the DEC, a group of 15 leading UK charities that raises funds nationwide for major crises overseas.
Its latest Middle East Appeal was launched on October 17 and has raised more than £35 million ($44.5 million) so far in aid for Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
It is the fifth DEC appeal in the past three years, including for Ukraine, which has raised £438 million and helped an estimated 8.2 million people affected by the war with Russia.
Former pop singer Myleene Klass, now a Save the Children ambassador, a member charity of the DEC, spoke at the event on Wednesday, held at St Peter's Church in Notting Hill.
The king’s visit to meet member charities and their staff was all the more important with winter approaching, and millions still displaced by war, said Michelle Farrington, a representative at Oxfam, another member charity.
“We really want to keep it live in people’s minds that the crisis is still ongoing and still extremely difficult for people in Gaza, Lebanon and across the Middle East, particularly as we’re going into winter,” she told The National.
“Things are going to get a lot harder for people, particularly those who have been displaced and don’t have a safe place to shelter, the next couple of months are going to be extremely difficult," she added.
The king talked to paediatric nurse Becky Platt, who works at the Royal London Hospital and spent more than a month working in Gaza this year. “One of the particular challenges for us was that we were managing children with significant injuries – blast injuries, traumatically amputated limbs," she said.
The nurse, who was working for Save the Children, added: “The pain relief we had at that stage was paracetamol and Ibuprofen. You might take that for a headache but if you’ve had your leg blown off you want something a bit stronger than that, so that was a real challenge.”
The king also acknowledged the role that communities across the UK have played in fund-raising efforts.
“It was a great opportunity for the king to come and acknowledge all those small communities and schools that have made the effort to raise money,” aid worker Dr Marian Staunton, who was part of Help Age International’s efforts with for the elderly in Ukraine, told The National.
“It’s an opportunity to share with people and the public in general about the kind of work that’s done in the very challenging times we’re in,” she said. Barney Guiton, 38, who raised £460 for the DEC’s appeal by growing a moustache, talked to the pool of royal reporters. “The king asked me if I was going to grow it so I can wax it at the ends and he asked what my wife thought about it. She’s not a fan, I think she would sponsor me to shave it off.”
Few people knew about King Charles’s visit, which was not announced in advance for security reasons.
Mothers who normally attend a playgroup at the church on Wednesday mornings were waiting outside with their babies to catch a glimpse of King Charles as he arrived. “We heard there was going to be a VIP event and thought it might be the king, so we thought we might come and see what was delaying our group,” said Sarah Jones Keyworth, a local resident and artist.
She is a regular fund-raiser for a charity serving homeless people, which operates from St Peter’s Church. “It’s definitely important to give all year round but especially at Christmas time people naturally want to give more. We feel a lot more warm-hearted towards people who have less,” she said.
After the state Bentley was spotted by people visiting Portobello Road Market, a crowd began to gather outside the nearby church.
King Charles stopped to speak to people waiting outside before he left and joked about police having blocked the road ahead of his exit. "Are you all trying to get somewhere else, are you? I hope you're not getting too wet," he told a group of tourists, before wishing them a "very happy Christmas".
Hector Gonsales, a resident of the area, said he was “outside having a bagel” when he saw the convoy stopping outside the church. “At first, I thought it was a diplomat. Then I recognised him right away,” he said. He hoped to see the king again on his way out, so that he could send a picture to his wife.
Another local resident Danielle Melendy was walking past when she saw the crowd and also stopped in hope she could see the king as he exited the church. "I was just walking by, I've never seen the king before, I'm definitely very excited," she said.
She and her family give regularly to charities in the US, where they are from. “We’re happy to give, its really important at this time of year," she said. "We’re from the US so a lot of it goes to the US. Its definitely important from a leadership perspective to make sure its highlighted for everybody else."
Footage of the visit supplied by Levin Mahler.
