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WATCH: King Charles stuns cyclists as they bump into monarch walking alone in Balmoral

The King and Queen spent the summer in Scotland


King Charles meeting cyclists on solo walk in Balmoral
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
On 22 September 2023
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It's well documented that King Charles and the royals love to go on long walks when they're staying on the Balmoral estate.

But one group of mountain bikers were absolutely stunned when they bumped into the monarch as he enjoyed a solo stroll through the Scottish Highlands last month.

A video uploaded by Andrew McAvoy aka McTrail Rider shows the group pause their ride when they come across a casually-dressed Charles.

The King appeared more than happy to chat to the trio, asking them whether they'd "done [the route] before?"

Another cyclist then asked the monarch: "Is this your summer vacation to Balmoral?" to which Charles replied: "It is."

Watch more of the group's incredible interaction with the King in the clip below, including his words of wisdom…

WATCH: King Charles stuns mountain bikers in Balmoral

After his encounter with royalty, Andrew said: "That was a king! What a nice man, lovely man, had time for us."

He added: "The king is a nice man and he's walking when everyone else is driving."

While the King was walking down the trail alone, in a comment on his YouTube channel, Andrew emphasised: "While there were no guards within sight of the camera, please know that the King very much had plenty of security nearby and numerous vehicles had scouted the route the King was walking before and after him. He was alone, but still very much protected, as you would expect."

Grab of King Charles talking to cyclists in Balmoral© YouTube / McTrail Rider
The King was dressed casually for his walk in a wax jacket and flat cap

The King and Queen followed in the late Queen Elizabeth II's footsteps and spent the traditional summer break at the Balmoral estate, where Charles has his Scottish residence, Birkhall.

Charles and Camilla hosted several members of the royal family during their stay, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke of York.

King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy attend service at Crathie Church, Balmoral© Getty
Charles and Camilla leaving a church service at Crathie Kirk earlier this month

The King and Queen returned to their public duties earlier this month and completed their three-day postponed state visit to France on Friday, where Charles made history in the French Senate and Camilla wowed in Dior and sapphire jewels at a state banquet at the Palace of Versailles.

LISTEN: Prince William's incident at school that landed him in A&E

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