King Charles III and Queen Camilla attended a block party and parade in Front Royal yesterday as one of the final stops of their state visit. WMRA’s Asye Pirge was there and spoke to a few people who spent hours waiting for a chance to see the royal couple.
An immense number of visitors showed up at the riverside town, and the lines to get to the parade route seemed to keep going. Jessica Padgett came from nearby Linden. Her sons attend school in Front Royal, which was canceled today, as many local roads were closed for the royal visit.
JESSICA PADGETT: So, I was like, well, I guess I have to take off work, because they don’t have school. I was like, well let’s at least go try and see, you know, what we can see.
Her son Liam wanted to see the king and queen as well.
JESSICA PADGETT: You do want to get to see the king and queen.Why? Why is that special?
LIAM PADGETT: Because me have not seen them before.
Jill and Butch Rutherford grew up here in Front Royal. When Jill found out that the king would be visiting–
JILL RUTHERFORD: I really didn’t believe it. I thought it was a joke, honestly. Yeah, it was just hard to believe that … the king and his wife would want to come to Front Royal. So, it’s a real honor.
Her husband, Butch, says that it was exciting –
BUTCH RUTHERFORD: To see that the king is going to come to Front Royal. You know, I understand he’s really into the environment. So, I guess that’s one good reason he’s coming.
The King has received numerous awards for his environmental work, including a Global Environmental Citizen Award from Harvard Medical School’s Center for Health and the Global Environment.
As crowds gathered in Old Town waiting for the royals, there were sounds of helicopters flying by. People began to cheer, and we saw police on motorcycles, then armored vehicles, and, on our side of the road, there was Queen Camilla, waving.
MARY ANNE BARISCIANO: They rode down and waved. The window was down, and I got to see Camilla.
That’s Mary Anne Barisciano, a Front Royal resident. She says she follows the royal family on the internet, and when she found out they would be visiting –
BARISCIANO: I was so surprised and happy.
She had waited on the sidewalk for almost five hours – and caught her glimpse at royalty.
