King Charles and Queen Camilla visit Bradford

Adam Laver
BBC News, Yorkshire
Reuters King Charles meeting a woman in a queue wearing Bradford City of Culture hoodie and holding City of Culture flagReuters
King Charles met members of the public on his arrival in Bradford

The King and Queen have spent the day in Bradford to celebrate the people and heritage of the current UK City of Culture.

Crowds waving flags greeted Charles and Camilla when they arrived at the city's new £50m Bradford Live venue.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracey Brabin welcomed the royal couple to the city, before they stopped to speak to members of the public.

The King and Queen were then treated to a performance by school pupils inside the 3,800-capacity venue.

PA Media Queen Camilla reaching to shake hands of members of the public over a railing PA Media
Queen Camilla spoke with people in the crowd outside Bradford Live

The Queen, as patron of the National Literacy Trust, then joined an event celebrating the organisation's work in Bradford, where she met volunteers and listened to poetry performed by local school children.

Meanwhile, the King visited Impact Hub Yorkshire in Little Germany, a centre that provides support for growing local enterprises and entrepreneurs.

PA Media King Charles watches on as two men sit playing tabla drums.PA Media
The King met people involved in performances for Bradford UK City of Culture 2025

Safeena Khan, who runs Florent flower shop in Bradford, presented a bouquet to the King, inspired by his Highgrove garden.

They had also shared a moment together, discussing living with cancer, she said.

"It's one of the things nobody wants in common with anybody, while His Majesty is still going through cancer, I have had it twice," Ms Khan said.

"He was really appreciative of the flowers. He said they were lovely, they were beautiful.

"He asked me how I was with the cancer, and I asked him how he was as well.

"We had that little exchange, and it was quite personal and quite warming."

Safeena Khan wears a grey hijab and holding a vase full of flowers.
Safeena Khan runs Florent flower shop in Bradford

The Queen then visited a cottage in Thornton where the Bronte sisters were born and which was recently bought so it could be turned into a cultural and education centre.

Later, the King visited Cartwright Hall, an art gallery and community cultural space in Lister Park, to tour an exhibition of work by Bradford-born artist David Hockney.

While at the exhibition, he was surprised by 15-year-old Florence McGrellis, who hugged him when he stopped to talk.

Asked afterwards "what was she thinking", Florence, who has Down's Syndrome, said it was "awesome".

"Because I'm friendly and I'm very helpful, and I'm a hugger," she said.

"And all my family are giving hugs. So I give them hugs.

"I felt very proud. It was also very exciting. I'm looking forward to meeting him again."

PA Media King Charles hugs 15-year-old Florence McGrellis, who is wearing a pink dress and pink ear defenders.PA Media
King Charles hugs 15-year-old Florence McGrellis
PA Media Queen Camilla wearing a pale green coat stands in front of a table where school children in Victorian-era costumes sit writing.PA Media
Queen Camilla meets pupils from St Oswald's Church of England Primary Academy during a visit to the cottage where the Bronte children were born

During the visit, the King also met magician Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, who turned a newspaper into £20 notes and performed a classic pick-a-card trick.

Frayne said: "I've been fortunate to visit him in the royal estate, but it's nice to bring him back to my hood, to my estate - from council estate to royal estate."

PA Media Magician Steven Frayne holds a pack of cards up for King Charles.PA Media
During his visit, the King met magician Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, who turned a newspaper into £20 notes

Charles was also treated to a performance by the BBC Radio Leeds Bantam of the Opera choir, before he spent time talking to some of the members about their experience with the choir and their memories of the 1985 Bradford City fire, which claimed the lives of 56 football fans.

PA Media King Charles wearing a light grey suit stands in front of a choir of people wearing claret and amber-striped Bradford City football shirts.PA Media
The King met with members of the Bantam of the Opera choir

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