Teen Who Slept Outside in Tent for 3 Years Invited to King Charles' Coronation: 'It's Going to Be Cool'
"I think it's just going to be an amazing day, a cool event," Max Woosey, 13, tells PEOPLE
Max Woosey is out of his tent — and off to King Charles' coronation!
The 13-year-old became famous in Britain and around the world for camping out in his garden to raise money for a local hospice. Now, he has received a surprise invitation to join 2,000 other guests inside Westminster Abbey for King Charles' historic day.
"It was an amazing feeling because I never thought a 13-year-old who's just been sleeping in a tent would get an invitation," Woosey tells PEOPLE. "It took me at least a few hours to realize it, and process that actually I was going to the coronation."
The teen spent 1,099 consecutive nights in the garden outside his home in Devon, western England, as he raised around $940,000 for the North Devon Hospice. The inspiration came from a neighbor, Rick Abbott, 74, who had terminal cancer and gave Woosey the tent.
"He said, 'I want you to have an adventure in it.' And I said 'I promise you I will," Woosey tells PEOPLE. "So, I started raising money instantly in the tent."
Woosey was awarded the British Empire Medallist (BEM) honor for his efforts on behalf of the wider community. But he never expected an invitation to the coronation of King Charles, 74, would come too.
"They are trying to make it more of a community this time," he says of the coronation guest list. "So they're inviting people who have done things for the community rather than just politicians and people like that."
"It's amazing to see that people are getting recognized," he adds. "There are loads of amazing people who are going to the coronation because they have done incredible things. They have helped save lives, people who have been struggling with mental illnesses. They have done amazing things and it's incredible to see they are going to the coronation."
Woosey will be taking his father Mark as his guest, while his mom Rachael watches the ceremony on TV.
Related:Unexpected Guest to King Charles' Coronation 'Blown Away' by Invite: 'It's a Moment in History'
"They tried to talk it out like adults and that didn't work out well," he jokes. "My dad has just come out of the military and my mum was like, 'You can go and have that event.'
"They are like two Labrador puppies — they're really excited. They tell each other about some of the organization before they tell me!" (Woosey's invitation was even featured on the Royal Family's Instagram account.)
Woosey and his father will be part of modern British history as the event unfolds in front of their eyes. And, being a young teen, he says it is going to be "a cool event."
"I think it's just going to be an amazing day, a cool event. I don't think anyone remembers what it looked like before, so this will be a crazy experience. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
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Buckingham Palace previously announced that the King, 74, invited over 850 community and charity representatives to the coronation. More than 450 British Empire Medallist (BEM) recipients were invited to see the service from the ancient Abbey itself. Meanwhile, over 400 young people, some representing charities chosen by King Charles and Queen Camilla, will witness the festivities from St. Margaret's Church at Westminster Abbey.
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