King Charles Stops to Chat with 'Shell-Shocked' Young Brothers in Toy Land Rover During Church Outing

Local mom Georgina Ward said it "was a very surreal experience" for her sons to meet the King

King Charles met some young well-wishers who came out to see him in a mini model of the royal family’s go-to car brand this weekend.

On Sunday, the King, 75, stepped out solo to attend church at St. Mary Magdalene near Sandringham House in Norfolk, where the royal family traditionally convenes for Christmas mass. King Charles seemed to be in good spirits during the stroll, especially when he met two young brothers traveling in a toy Land Rover.

The King smiled as he passed by William and Oliver Ward, who were there with their parents, Simon and Georgina Ward. The green motorized vehicle was made by the boys’ grandfather complete with the custom license plate “Wi44iam,” and Georgina said it was a “very special moment” when they met the monarch.

"It was a very surreal experience," said Georgina, per PA via BBC. "We went to see [King Charles] go in, and we weren't planning on seeing him come out, but because he made such a beeline for the Landy to start with, we thought we had to go back and show him it.”

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The local nurse from Norfolk added that the King “came back and was asking questions about whether it was handmade and whether it ran, whether it used a pedal and if we'd crashed into any trees,” and said her sons were "a bit shell-shocked" to meet the sovereign.

“We go out with it most Sundays, so it just made sense to take it today and show the King,” Georgina said of the adventures that William, 6, and Oliver, 3, share behind the wheel.

While King Charles is known to chat with members of the public while making his way to and from the church at St. Mary Magdalene (which is the royal family’s go-to church during stays at Sandringham, their private residence in the Norfolk countryside), the miniature Land Rover likely caught his eye. The royal family has been unofficially affiliated with the British car brand since King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth drove her own Range Rover into her 90s.

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Prince Philip also had a lifelong love for the SUVs, which reflected his interest in engineering and technology. According to Buckingham Palace, the late Duke of Edinburgh spent 18 years working on the specially modified Land Rover Defender TD 130 which he wished to be used to transport his coffin at his funeral. The request was honored following his death at age 99 in April 2021.

While King Charles and Queen Camilla are known to travel in their burgundy Bentley State Limousine, Prince William seems to have inherited his grandfather’s affinity for the Land Rover brand. The Prince of Wales and his wife, Kate Middleton, often arrive at official engagements in their navy Range Rover and have favored the luxury car since their eldest child, Prince George, was born.

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On Christmas Day, Prince William and Princess Kate brought Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, to church at St. Mary Magdalene, where King Charles and Queen Camilla led the charge for the second year in a row.

The King and Queen, 76, headed to church again for the New Year's Eve Mattins service on Dec. 31, signaling that their winter stay at Sandringham House continued. Queen Elizabeth was known to stay at Sandringham through Feb. 6, the date her father King George VI died in 1952 and she became Queen, and Charles might be following the same schedule.

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