King praises 'special moment' of Isle of Man visit

King Charles III has been warmly greeted by delighted crowds of well-wishers on his first trip to the Isle of Man as monarch.

The King, who holds the title Lord of Mann, started his whistlestop tour by making an address to Tynwald, where he praised the history of island's parliament and its native language.

A garden party at Government House saw the monarch meet cultural representatives, Manx speakers, as well as local Loughtan sheep famers and woollen mill weavers.

In a trip bathed in the Manx sunshine, the King went on to unveil a plaque marking the 150th anniversary of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at Strathallan Crescent before taking a trip on a newly restored historic tram.

Among the crowds watching on was Sue Crellin, whose husband Michael worked on the horse tramway as the farrier for more than 50 years.

"The horses look fantastic today as well, in the nicest colours of the red and yellow," she said, adding that Bobby - the horse pulling the tram - had spent several winters living at the family's home, during the tramway's off season.

The King was accompanied at the engagements by the island's Lieutenant Governor, Sir John Lorimer, who is the monarch's representative on the island.

The visit included a garden party at the governor's official residence, Government House, in Onchan.

Addressing the Manx parliament earlier in the day, the King said it was "a very special moment in history" to take part in the proceedings as "only the second Lord of Mann to do so since this chamber was constructed".

As it happened: King makes first island visit as Lord of Mann

The King said he had "countless fond memories" of presiding over the open-air Tynwald ceremony in St John's during during a previous visit, but it was "even more significant to be here now, in Tynwald Court, as Lord of Mann, addressing you all personally, for first time".

The King said he was proud of his family tradition of Royal visits to the island and praised the history of Tynwald.

"As the world's oldest parliament in continuous operation, Tynwald holds a remarkable distinction," he said.

"This longevity speaks not only to the strength of your institutions, but also to the enduring partnership between the Crown and the people of this island."

Among the crowds that lined the streets in Douglas to catch a glimpse of the island's Royal visitor, were Year 2 pupils from Scoill yn Jubilee.

Lily and Harriet said they were "really excited" to see the King arrive, as they had been learning about the monarchy in class.

Teacher Lisa said the visit had "worked perfectly for our school", adding: "We've brought some flowers to hopefully give to the King so they can celebrate the end of their topic."

In his final engagement of the day, the King visited the headquarters of Heroes on the Water, a charity that supports injured military veterans and uniformed members of the public through activities, at port Soderick Beach.

There, he met 104-year-old Burma Star veteran James Fenton, and was gifted the bell from a retired ambulance.

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