Charles and Camilla enjoyed their first joint away day since the King’s cancer diagnosis and toured the town where more than a thousand welcomed the couple, with the King walking within a few feet of an anti-monarchy protest.
The King carried out a solo engagement visiting an offshore wind turbine manufacturer where he confessed his skiing days were behind him, while the Queen celebrated literacy and told a hall of school children “reading is so important…if you can read you can do anything”.
The Queen batted the ball across the net to the 14-year-old and a stop-start rally began with the ball quickly retrieved by helpful watchers whenever any of the players missed the table.
The Queen showed off her ping-pong prowess when she joined the King at a community centre to celebrate good causes in Middlesbrough.
But in a lighter moment the King’s consort picked up a bat and ball and joined a group of teenagers having an impromptu match.
