His Majesty King Charles III has undertaken his first official engagement of 2023 in Scotland, where he visited several community projects aimed at creating connections between people.
The Sovereign arrived at Mid-Deeside Community Shed, near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, where he was welcomed by Lord Lieutenant Sandy Manson and the traditional “Scotland the Brave” being played by 23-year-old pipe major James Cooper of the Ballater & District Pipe Band.
Before entering the structure, King Charles held a walkabout, during which he greeted members of the public, including a woman on holiday from Australia.
The monarch was then escorted inside, where he had a chat with volunteers and community members at Aboyne Men’s Shed, one of the projects housed within the community.
He sat down to have tea “in a special teacup” (according to recollections) with some members of the community and discuss the benefits that such a place has for the people who frequent it. He was gifted a swift box by the Shed’s Chairman, Mike Brooks, for which the King was very grateful.
He was also shown some of the tools that the community uses for their workshops and activities, most of which were donated by Mr Hugh Gibson, a citizen who supports the project.
Mr John Stodter, a member of the Shed’s community, also showed him some of the post boxes that the community has, and he later recalled that the King seemed especially interested in one showcasing King George V’s cypher.
Aboyne Men’s Shed aims to allow men in the community to create connections through activities such as arts and crafts, stone carving and woodworking while also keeping alive traditional craft skills that are essential to the creation of a local identity.
And it was one of the men in the community, Mr Tony Atherton, who created the plaque that was unveiled by the King to commemorate his visit.
The plaque reads: “This plaque was unveiled to commemorate the visit of His Majesty King Charles III to Aboyne Men’s Shed on Thursday 12th January 2023”, and the monarch was heard saying: “I am very impressed,” before quipping, “Has he spelt it all right?” which prompted laughter from the people around him.
Before leaving, King Charles also signed the guest book, which offered another light moment when he seemed to momentarily forget what day it was. A video published on Twitter by Daily Mail’s Rebecca English shows the moment King Charles III is heard asking, “January the something or other…?” before he quickly added “the twelfth.”
One of the people around him confirmed the correct date and added, “I’m still on summer of ’22, Sir,” much to the delight of the other people surrounding the small table.
His Majesty then made his way back to Birkhall, his home in Scotland, where he is rumoured to have been spending a “much-deserved break.”
The home is a place that the King values a lot, as he said in a BBC interview: “When you are in the house, it’s very calming and peaceful, I think.”
