The monarch was praised as a ‘lovely man’ as he says hello and stops to talk to riders while hiking alone on the Scottish royal estate. Photo / AP
The monarch was praised as a ‘lovely man’ as he says hello and stops to talk to riders while hiking alone on the Scottish royal estate. Photo / AP
The King surprised a group of cyclists who were going for a ride around Balmoral when he stopped to talk to them.
The monarch was hiking alone on the Scottish estate over the summer when he passed the mountain bikers, who happened to be filming during the unlikely encounter.
Wearing a flat cap and brown padded jacket and carrying a walking stick, the King chatted to the group about the weather and reminisced on some of his childhood memories on the estate with his family.
In footage posted to YouTube by Andrew McAvoy, a professional mountain biker from Lochgilphead, in Scotland, the King can be heard at minute 4.25, asking the men if they had cycled around the estate before – joking that they were probably “old hands”.
He briefly chatted about the windy mountainous weather and could be heard saying: “The midges are horrendous.”
The three cyclists then asked why he was out walking alone, to which he replied: “I like my walking.” Everyone in the group agreed it was “good for the soul”.
McAvoy said he and his companions were staying in the Royal Lochnagar Distillery – about a mile from Balmoral Castle – and were heading for Gelder Shiel, or the “royal bothy”, a shelter used by hillwalkers on the estate that is open to the public.
Prince Charles With Prince William And Prince Harry Visit Glen Muick On The Balmoral Castle Estate. Photo / Getty Images
“So good, I’m so glad it works,” a delighted King replied, recalling how he used to stay there himself with his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, and his sister, the Princess Royal.
He told the group about some recent renovations that had been made and said he was “trying to get more trees” planted on the estate.
The monarch then wished the group well before they set off again, joking: “Take care, don’t fall off.”
In the moments after the encounter on August 25, McAvoy praised the King for being a “lovely man” and taking the time to chat to him and his friends.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with their children, Prince Andrew (centre), Princess Anne (left) and Charles, Prince of Wales sitting on a picnic rug outside Balmoral Castle in Scotland, September 1960.
“What a nice man, lovely man. Had time for us,” he said, before adding: “All I can think of is I wish I met the Queen now.”
Balmoral Estate is a popular residence of the Royal family and was particularly loved by Queen Elizabeth II, who would spend her summers there.
Much like her son, the late Queen enjoyed walking around the grounds of the Scottish estate.
She once came across two American hikers who did not recognise her and asked her to take a photograph of them.
Richard Griffin, a former Royal Protection Officer, revealed after her death: “There were two hikers coming towards us, and the Queen would always stop and say hello.
“And it was clear from the moment we first stopped that they hadn’t recognised the Queen.”
They then asked where she lived, and if she had ever met Queen Elizabeth – to which Griffin said she replied: “Well I haven’t, but Dick here meets her regularly.”
