King Charles III: Luton people reflect on the day they met the King

The King certainly left his mark on the town after his whirlwind tour on Tuesday (December 6) which saw him being greeted by Lord Lieutenant Susan Lousada at the Town Hall, visit the newly-built Guru Nanak Gurdwara and ride on the Airport DART.

And most people were full of praise of the new monarch – apart from one man who allegedly threw an egg at the King.

Nineteen-year-old Julia Popielarek was invited to meet the new king in the Town Hall, alongside her boss, Montell Neufville – managing director of social enterprise Atten10tive.

She said: “Montell received an invite for an ‘event of very important magnitude’ and accepted without realising it would be an audience with King Charles III.

"My initial thoughts, when we found out, were that I’d never been more privileged and it felt quite surreal for a while.”

Julia didn’t think she’d have an opportunity to meet His Majesty because there were so many VIPs in the room. But, as she recalled: “I spoke to him and shook his hand.

"The atmosphere was very tense before he arrived, there was a great sense of anticipation. But there was an amazing shift as he walked round talking to everyone with such sympathy and calmness.”

The teenager, who hosts Youthology on AUK Radio, believes visits like this encourage young people to be more understanding of the significance of the monarchy and bring a sense of unity to the town.

Young players from Luton Town Academy were also invited to meet the King – although the visit had to be kept secret until the official announcement.

When Player Care Officer Wayne Poulson started contacting parents, they didn’t believe he was serious.

He admitted: “I had to repeat, on several occasions: ‘Yes, I did say the King.’”

During the build-up, Luton Town Under 10 player John Kelly and Kyron Roberts-Edema from the Under 15 team were asked to take part in a Greatest Hits Radio interview.

Wayne said this gave them experience in public speaking and the boys were a credit to themselves, their family and the club.

They waited for the King with mounting excitement and were not disappointed when he arrived – engaging with the crowd and showing a real appreciation of everyone there and the organisations they represented.

He asked the youngsters who they thought would win the World Cup and why they weren’t at school – which made everyone smile.

Wayne was also impressed that Charles asked about the Hatters and the Academy, how the boys were getting on this season and what they thought about life in Luton.

Dallow Primary School headteacher Katharine Lovell was at the Gurdwara with pupils from the school.

She said: “The King asked about the relationship between the school and Gurdwara and commented on how well behaved the children were.

"It was definitely a day never to be forgotten and I’m proud that we were invited to be part of this very special occasion.”

The monarch also met members of the medical team who had run a voluntary Covid vaccination clinic at the temple.

Dr Manraj Barhey said: “He was very easy to talk to. I liked him. We all felt he was relaxed and engaging, had a good knowledge of the subject and asked all the relevant questions.”

Professor Gurch Randhawa, Deputy Lieutenant and Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire and himself a Sikh, said it was a ‘personal honour’ to host His Majesty on a tour of the newly built Guru Nanak Gudwara.

He added: “The King was respectful of our traditions. He listened to kirtan and hukamnama (devotional music).

"The occasion was a joyous celebration of our core principles of selfless service.

"His Majesty was complimentary about the range of activities Sikhs in Luton undertake to support local people in need and he met volunteers from several of these, including the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen.”

The King was welcomed into the temple by music and song from 10 pupils of the Luton Punjabi Kirtan School.

Headteacher Jaswant Kaur Bola, who comes from Harrow every week to teach the 150-strong school, said Charles was very knowledgeable about Indian instruments: "He asked for a demonstration of the baja (harmonium) and mentioned the sitar.

"He was genuinely interested and it was the experience of a lifetime for the kids.”

Luton’s Mayor, Cllr Sameera Saleem said: “It was a great honour to welcome the King to Luton to experience our town’s rich diversity and to meet the compassionate communities which make our town so special.

"It was lovely to see so many people from the different backgrounds come together to welcome him.

“We are so proud he got to meet local groups who demonstrate every day that care and compassion are at the core of Luton’s ethos by the way they always step forward to help those in need, and the wide range of work that takes place to build cohesion across our town.”

Luton Irish Forum CEO Noelette Hanley was among community leaders presented to the monarch. The charity won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020 and goes from strength to strength offering welfare advice, social opportunities and cultural events.

Noelette said: “I felt privileged to be invited to meet King Charles III. This was a historic moment in the life of the town and a fantastic opportunity for Luton Irish Forum to be part of.”

Mark Turner, Service Director Luton Rising and Luton Council Monitoring Officer, was also deeply honoured to meet His Majesty and said his abiding memory would be “the warmth of his greeting to all those he met and his evident interest in the contribution that they make to the life of our town – a great day for Luton.”