In small-town America, the King and Queen are bid a grand farewell

And then it was time for fun.

In Front Royal, Virginia, locals had queued for around a mile to pass through security to get to a block party on Main Street.

The small town, founded in 1788 with a population of 15,400, was bedecked with stars-and-stripes bunting with beer on tap for a sunny day.

The King and Queen’s arrival started with a walkabout, as their trips usually do. This time, they were surrounded by Secret Service, snipers watching from the rooftops and armoured cars parked around them for safety.

They had wound their windows down in the blacked-out car, mindful that people had turned out in droves to see them.

They were taken to a bandstand, where local restaurants and food businesses had put their produce on display, from apple butter to pizza, chicken wings, cheesecake and cans of beer.

Spotting a jar of barbecue sauce, the King said: “I hope it doesn’t blow your head off.”

He was keen to hear whether the peanuts were grown locally and whether there was “still enough crab to go around”.

“It all looks delicious,” said the Queen.

As the sound of the marching band rose in the distance, the King and Queen – along with the mayor of Front Royal and Governor of Virginia – stood to watch amid shouts of “Your Majesty” and “hello Queen!”

The Warren County High School played God Save the King, and was followed by cheerleaders, children waving flags and a procession of vintage cars. The driver of a fire truck waved from his window.

The Queen moved to meet five women from domestic violence charity the Phoenix Project, as music from the Low Water Bridge Band played Appalachian music behind them.

She was then steered towards a table staffed by young Boy and Girl Scouts of America, who were selling cookies.

An equerry handed her $5 in notes, which she gave to one of the Scouts and selected a box of thin mints.

The King, meanwhile, was introduced to a newborn lamb named Charles in his honour, reaching out to shake its leg as if it were any other handshake.

The Queen later met the lamb too, stroking his head and rubbing his neck, declaring him to be “very aptly named” and telling him: “You’re very sweet.” She also had a newborn named after her, Camilla.

Together again, the King and Queen turned to watch a performance from the Bull Run Cloggers. Men and women of all ages in their uniforms whooped and danced on a low stage.

The King and Queen both tapped their toes to the music. The King nodded along and bounced on his heels, while they leaned in to talk to one another.

It appeared briefly as if they were considering joining in, and the Queen got the giggles.

Before they left, they handed over a Coronation quiche and Victoria sponge, made in the British embassy kitchen, to locals who were continuing the party into the afternoon.

The King admired an impressive handlebar moustache belonging to Bruce Townshend, from nearby Linden, asking whether he used wax on it.

“I used a little extra just for you today, Sir,” replied Mr Townshend.

The Queen recognised Brian Malsberger, 67, with whom she had corresponded for 20 years since he wrote to her following the death of her father, Major Bruce Shand.

The event was designed to encourage people to hold their own block parties, getting communities together to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Nearly half the population of Front Royal is estimated to have turned out to see the King and Queen,

Lori Athey Cockrell, the mayor, admitted that she deleted the initial email proposing a royal visit because she thought it was a hoax.

Afterwards, she described the event as “surreal”.

“When I was a little girl, if somebody told me I was gonna meet the King. I would have never thought that was possible in this little, small town, but it was just amazing. And they were very friendly and personable and humorous.”

Until now, the all-American town had not seen this much excitement since the singer Bing Crosby visited in 1944 to screen one of his movies – an event that is still talked about with immense pride.

“I told the King, the last big thing we had was when Bing Crosby came and he went ‘Oh!’ and laughed,” said Ms Cockrell.

Afterwards, the King and Queen separated: he to the picturesque Shenandoah National Park where he was made an honorary Junior Ranger and met a bald eagle called Buddy, and she to Smitten Farm to hear about American horse racing.

The Queen, who revealed she watches her foals being born on an app, told the farm owner, Mrs William Backer, 93: “It’s a lovely way to finish off this visit and to see something I really enjoy and getting to see some horses. I said, if I’m here, I’m jolly well going to come and see them.”

The King, separately, heard that the local breeding programme for bald eagles had been such a success that they were no longer endangered.

Dr Meg told him it was “mostly due to the work of your great grandfather”, George V, who signed the Migratory Bird Treaty with US president Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

She added: “So you should be very proud. And we appreciate all you do for conservation. You’re doing a wonderful job.”

The King said: “I try.”

He met three members of the Monacan Indian Nation, whose ancestral lands covered much of western Virginia.

Chief Diane Shields, 78, said afterwards: “The King is gentle soul. He so polite to everybody. We were so happy to welcome him here and show him our small corner of the world.”

The King, 77, was made an honorary Junior Ranger during his visit, receiving a “passport” and stamp as part of his initiation.

Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, a park ranger, said there was no upper age limit to becoming a Junior Ranger.

“He may not be the youngest but he is our most important person,” she said.

The King has departed the US, arriving in Bermuda for the second leg of the trip, while the Queen travels home separately.

Arriving at LF Wade International Airport at dusk, Charles was greeted by Andrew Murdoch, the governor of Bermuda, along with the premier and his wife, with a small guard of honour formed by the Royal Bermuda Regiment standing to attention nearby.

The formalities will be low-key, as the King will receive a ceremonial welcome of pomp and pageantry featuring a 21-gun salute on Friday.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]