Since his cancer diagnosis in February 2024, King Charles’ public appearances have been limited. But on October 21, the King of England looked spry and jovial while visiting the Australian War Memorial. According to People, more than 1,000 gathered to see the king and wish him well. Among those excited to see King Charles was a 9-year-old alpaca named Hephner.
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Their Majesties meeting the crowds at the Australian War Memorial including Hephner the Alpaca. ‘Bless you’ as Hephner sneezes on The King’s arm. #RoyalVisitAustralia #KingCharles #canberra #royalcameraman pic.twitter.com/GvXbqJzgQB
— Duncan Stone (@DuncanCStone) October 21, 2024
The Alpaca Was Decked Out To Meet King Charles
The fluffy white mammal wore a suit, bow tie, and a gold crown for his big meeting. As King Charles made his way through the crowd, he stopped to say hello to the friendly alpaca. After giving him a gentle pet, Hephner caught Charles off guard with a sneeze. King Charles laughed at the alpaca as he moved along.
Duncan Stone shared the endearing moment on X with the caption, “Their Majesties meeting the crowds at the Australian War Memorial including Hephner the Alpaca. ‘Bless you’ as Hephner sneezes on The King’s arm.”
A fan wrote, “HM is unflappable. If beautiful, adorable horses don’t faze him, neither will being sneezed on by a beautiful, adorable and friendly Alpaca.”
“Aww, how cute,” another agreed.
King Charles was the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia in 13 years. He and his wife, Queen Camilla, visited with cancer researchers during their time in Australia. According to Reuters, they spoke with Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer to learn more about their work in melanoma treatment. Melanoma is one of the most common types of cancer in Australia and can be particularly devasting.
“That was an amazing opportunity for us to tell the King about what we’re doing here trying to deal with Australia’s national cancer, and to talk about how we’re trying to get to zero deaths from melanoma,” Richard Scoyler said after the visit.
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