King Charles leaves people ‘shocked’ with surprise move amid Prince Harry’s trip abroad

King Charles stunned locals as he made a surprise visit to a whisky shop and newsagents’ in a tiny Scottish village this week.

The monarch, 77, spent time in Aboyne near Aberdeen on Tuesday, which is only a 30-minute drive from Balmoral Castle. 

He visited George Stratchan Limited, a newsagents’ which holds a royal warrant, with the King telling locals he used to visit during his childhood stays in Balmoral. 

The King was in the area to celebrate the business’s 100th anniversary, with a large police presence taking to the streets ahead of his visit, which was not announced in advance. 

One resident told local paper Press and Journal that they were “shocked” to see the King, with another saying he had appeared “delighted” to be in the area. 

They said: “It all happened so fast. We were out walking the dog when we heard all these sirens. Next thing we knew, four police cars were outside on Ballater Road. I was shocked.”

The Black Faced Sheep, an independent cafe in Aboyne, hailed the “exciting visit” in a post on social media. A note in the Court Circular, which details royal engagements, read afterwards: “The King this morning visited George Strachan Limited of Royal Deeside, Main Street, Aboyne, to mark its Centenary and was received by the Lady Saltoun. His Majesty met members of the Strachan family and shop staff.”

Important timing

The outing is the first time the King has been seen in public since attending the Easter Sunday service in Windsor on April 5. 

It also marks his first appearance since his son, Prince Harry, began his whirlwind tour of Australia with his wife, Meghan Markle. 

On Tuesday, within hours of the King’s public appearance, Harry made rare comments about growing up with King Charles and his late mother, Princess Diana. 

He opened up about “conversations” they never had together, with one example being social media, which didn’t exist 40 years ago. The Duke of Sussex said that kids should be “upgrades” of their parents, but said that he isn’t “pointing the finger” at Charles and Diana for how they raised him. 

A packed schedule!

The King has enjoyed a much quieter schedule for the past two weeks, but the upcoming royal agenda is as packed as ever. 

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Next week, the King and Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family will mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth. 

The late Queen’s life will be remembered during a series of events held around her birthday – April 21 – the date she would have turned 100.

The King and Queen are also scheduled to undertake a four-day trip to the US from April 27-30 to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, meeting President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania.