Waltzing again in time! Charles bumps into his childhood dance companion

King Charles received a lovely surprise in Guernsey this afternoon when he bumped into his childhood dancing partner.

The monarch, 75, who is concluding his tour of the Channel Islands with Queen Camilla this afternoon, met Guernsey resident Caroline Freeman during a walkabout.

Speaking to ITV News, Caroline revealed she was nine years old when Charles was four, and she helped to teach him at the Vacani School of Dance in London, stepping in to be his partner because they were a similar size.

Upon seeing Caroline again, the King said: What was so marvellous was that I had the same dance teacher as my mama, she was terrific. And I promise you, all your tuition helped hugely.’ 

As the pair parted ways, Caroline urged the monarch to keep up his dancing lessons – to which he joked: ‘I need more!’

The King bumped into his old dancing partner and mentor, Caroline Freeman, in Guernsey today while undertaking a walkabout

Following the encounter, the former dancer revealed the King had told her he hasn’t been dancing as much as he’d like recently; suggesting that his cancer treatment has stopped him from being as active as he once was.

Nonetheless, Caroline said she thought her former dancing mentee looked ‘really well’.

Caroline recalled a four-year-old Charles was a ‘talented dancer’ and a ‘very charming’ little boy.

Caroline (pictured left) was nine years old when she stepped in as a then-four-year-old King Charles’s dance partner at the Vacani School of Dance in London

She also revealed she had seen Princess Anne’s moves as well – but added the King’s younger sister was ‘practically a toddler’ when she attended the dance school. 

Elsewhere this afternoon, the monarch met with some royal fans and Guernsey residents who paid him an unlikely compliment.

Jacquie Gordon, 56, a resident of the Channel Island, said she thought the King presented himself as a ‘proper worker’ thanks to his ‘rough’ hands.

She said: ‘I shook the King’s hand and it was rough, like a proper worker who does things with his hands.’

Another royal fan, Christine Morton, 75, added: ‘Yes, he has a proper handshake, which I like.’

The monarch has never been shy to show off his dance moves (pictured in Zanzibar in 2011) 

The monarch has, no doubt, perfected his handshake over the years after decades of meeting members of the public in walkabouts – however Charles may feel especially pleased with such feedback given he has previously been mocked over the appearance of his hands; specifically, his so-called ‘sausage fingers’.

However, it seems the people of Guernsey were on board with the monarch’s strong handshake today as they met him during the walkabout on their second day in the Channel Islands. 

It seems the King and Queen were a hit all around, as royal fans were delighted to meet Their Majesties.

Barrie Ainsworth, who is 80 today, was wished a happy birthday by the King after being made aware that the Guernsey resident was marking a special milestone.

The King told Mr Ainsworth, who had come out to see the King with his family, said: ‘I hope they’re looking after you. Make sure you have a very enjoyable day.’

Brenda Ainsworth, Mr Ainsworth’s daughter-in-law, wished the Queen ‘a happy birthday for tomorrow’ when Camilla will celebrate her 77th birthday.

The Queen replied: ‘Thank you. Sometimes you ought to forget them!’

The King stopped to speak to a group of medical students who have come to Guernsey as part of their studies, telling them that they were ‘desperately needed’.

Ivana Barbalich, 23, a medical student on an overseas elective from her native New Zealand, said: ‘I said Kia Ora to him, a traditional greeting from New Zealand. We said that we were medical students and he said that we were ‘desperately needed’.’

Guernsey has been granted a bank holiday today to mark the royal visit.

The Channel Islands formally became part of the Duchy of Normandy in 933, then Normandy and England came under common rule from 1066 after the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.

After 1204, Guernsey pledged to remain loyal to King John of England when he lost his continental Normandy territory to the French King. And now, 820 years on, the Channel Islands are the only part of the former Duchy of Normandy which remains loyal to the British Crown.

As the King and Queen arrived this morning the Royal Standard was raised on the Weighbridge Mast and a 21 gun salute fired.

They then took part in a special sitting of the States of Deliberation.

It is traditional that a special sitting of the States of Deliberation is held when the Monarch visits Guernsey for the first time and occurred in 1957 for the first visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Later in the visit, the King stopped to speak to a group of medical students who have come to Guernsey as part of their studies, telling them that they were ‘desperately needed’.

Ivana Barbalich, 23, a medical student on an overseas elective from her native New Zealand, said: ‘I said Kia Ora to him, a traditional greeting from New Zealand. We said that we were medical students and he said that we were ‘desperately needed’.