King Charles Coronation latest LIVE: King joined by Prince and Princess of Wales greeting royal fans on the Mall

Lydia Chantler-Hicks,Bill McLoughlin and Barney Davis

Fri, 5 May 2023 at 4:08 pm BST

The King, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, delighted members of the public on the Mall in a surprise appearance less than 24 hours before the coronation.

The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another to greet well-wishers around 2pm, who cheered and could be heard shouting “God save the King”.

It comes after royal fans caught a glimpse of the royal family from afar on Friday morning as they carried out a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey.

Saturday’s ceremony will see a parade through the streets of central London, before Charles and Camilla are crowned at the Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Huge crowds are flocking to the capital to witness the historic moment, while a mammoth security operation is underway.

Hounslow drops another huge Royal mural

16:08 , Barney Davis

A West London family have unveiled another huge mural to the Royal Family months after their Queen street painting went viral.

Jignesh Patel and his younger brother Yash’s painting of the Queen in Kingsley Road, Hounslow has been seen by millions after going viral on Facebook and other social media sites.

King Charles meets his adoring throngs camping out in The Mall

15:50 , Barney Davis

The King shook dozens of outstretched hands as he walked along The Mall.

He laughed when one man asked if he was “nervous for tomorrow”, while another royal fan with a strong accent said: “Love you, I’m from Italy,” and a third told the King, “Good luck for tomorrow”.

Theresa Iredale, who turns 66 on Saturday, the day of Charles’ coronation, wore a plastic crown for her encounter with Charles.

She said: “He said, ‘thank you for coming’ and he appreciated it and I did say it was my birthday and he said, ‘oh, congratulations’.

“I was shaking. I saw his hand coming out to mine and I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m shaking the King’s hand’. A special moment.”

When one woman told William she had flown from Phoenix, Arizona, and would be camping out in The Mall overnight, he replied “No way, well done you.”

He added with a smile: “There’s not much sleeping going on around here, they’re all sat in their chairs. I think there’s a good party atmosphere.”

With rain forecast for Saturday he put his hands together and said: “I pray you guys stay dry.”