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Tuesday March 19, 2024

King Charles III 'almost dropped' at special medieval festival: Details

King Charles III was once almost dropped by a group of people who carried him on their shoulders

By Web Desk
September 28, 2022

file footage

King Charles III was once almost dropped by a group of people who carried him on their shoulders as he attended a medieval football game all the way back in 2003, reported BBC.

At the time, Charles was the Prince of Wales and was invited to Ashbourne in Derbyshire to kick off the Royal Shrovetide Football match, and as per tradition, the one who starts the game is lifted on the shoulders by two men known as escorts.

Talking about serving as an escort for the new King at the time, Mark Harrison, who lifted Charles with another man named Dougie Sowter, told BBC: “It was a bit of a nightmare to be fair.”

“As we both went down Dougie got his arm in first, grabbed his leg and he pulled his trench coat tightly so I couldn't get my arm in. So, I literally had to grab him with both hands and struggled to get him up.”

As Harrison and Sowter struggled, a third man joined in to support them and help keep the prince in the air, with Mark sharing: “It was a tight struggle let's say. We managed to get him up in the end and it all went well but it was close.”

Harrison went on to share more memories from the special day, adding: “When he met us, he was a really nice bloke, he was down to earth, he had lost all his airs and graces because he realised, he was talking to the lads.”