King Charles honours Royal Navy sailors in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle

King Charles III won hearts with his brilliant move as he honoured Royal Navy sailors who played a prominent role in Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession.

The newly crowned King, during a special ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, presented medals to 142 sailors and officers who took part in the historic event or planned the Navy's involvement.

Almost 100 Royal Naval Ratings, known as a Sovereign's Guard, pulled the gun carriage carrying the Queen’s coffin as it was borne from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in the capital, and 40 others marched behind, acting as a break.

The royal family's official Instagram account shared highlights from the open-air ceremony, which you can watch below, showing the 74-year-old monarch speaking with sailors as they lined up in the Castle quadrangle, accompanied by the Band of the Royal Marines.

They wrote in caption: "In a special parade and ceremony at Windsor Castle, The King today presented @RoyalNavy personnel with Royal Victorian Order honours, in recognition of the role they played in Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral Processions."

Royal fans were incredibly moved by the monarch's engagement, with one social media user commenting: "What an honour for these fabulous servicemen and women. How fabulous to see. And their smiles too!"

Another reacted as saying: "Such a precious moment. So well deserved by each and every one of them, they did our wonderful late Queen proud."

"This is incredibly thoughtful and heartwarming," while a fourth added: "Well deserved. What an amazing job they did. QE2 would have been very proud," one royal fan wrote.