King and Queen interrupted by ‘false alarm’ during visit to Channel Islands

The King and Queen were pulled away from an engagement during their visit to Jersey over a “false alarm”.

The incident happened while the Royal couple were attending the ‘expo’ stage of Monday’s tour of St Helier.

Camilla was eating an ice cream when a member of the visit team pulled both her and Charles away. The couple were then taken to the nearby Pomme d’Or Hotel.

A full background check was carried out and the programme resumed shortly afterwards.

Charles and Camilla travelled to Jersey as part of their first visit to the Channel Islands – which are Crown Dependencies off the north-west coast of France – since the King acceded to the throne.

The couple kicked off their tour by attending a special sitting of the States Assembly and the Royal Court. The crowd braved heavy showers and roared as the and King and Queen arrived in a purple Bentley.

Following a prayer spoken in French, five of the senior seigneurs of the island paid homage to the King. This included the giving of locally laid duck eggs as a symbol of sustenance.

The King was all smiles as he laughed with onlookers, shaking hands and patting their dogs. He even apologised to the crowd for the poor weather – which did eventually brighten up.

Camilla, wearing a blue Anna Valentine silk shirt dress, was also in high spirits as she met the crowd.

The King and Queen finished their tour of St Helier with a tea party at the Pomme d’Or Hotel. Guests included veterans, royal patronages and representatives of the emergency services.

The royals will travel to Guernsey on Tuesday, where they will attend a special sitting of the States of Deliberation and ancient ceremony of homage to the monarch, held outdoors on the St Peter Port seafront where islanders can watch the events.

The King is known as the Duke of Normandy on the Channel Islands – dating from when William the Conqueror’s son, Henry I, seized the Duchy of Normandy, including the islands, in 1106.