King Charles gave a candid update on the realities of getting older today as he met patients during a visit to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham.
The monarch, 76, struck up a warm conversation with 85-year-old patient Jacqueline Page, who told him: “I’m wearing out.”
“I know,” the King replied sympathetically. “This is the terrible thing, as I’m discovering already — the bits don’t work so well after you get past 70, do they?”
The pair laughed before embarking on a lively exchange that revealed they had met decades earlier.
King Charles jokes about ageing as he tells patient: ‘The bits don’t work so well after 70’
|GETTY
Mrs Page’s husband said: “She’s met you before.” His wife then recalled an event at Perry Barr Stadium where Charles had arrived by helicopter.
“I met you before at Perry Barr Stadium. You came in a helicopter, walked straight towards my parents and shook their hands,” she explained.
“That was a bit of luck, wasn’t it?” the King quipped.
“I didn’t get to meet you then,” Mrs Page continued, “so I’m delighted you’re talking to me today.”
King Charles during his visit to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham
|PA
Charles asked: “Was that back in the '70s — ’78?” Mrs Page confirmed: “Yes.”
The King reflected: “Extraordinary. It was a wonderful old helicopter, I remember. I used to fly them in the Navy — I left the Navy in 1976 — and I can still remember how to fly it.
“That was the great thing. But I’m so glad there was a chance to meet today.”
As their meeting came to an end, Charles said warmly: “It’s such a joy to see you again after all these years. Terrifying, isn’t it?”
King Charles and Jacqueline Page discovered they had met before
|PA
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Mrs Page replied: “It’s so kind of you to be here.”
The exchange highlighted the King’s light-hearted approach to public duties, even as he acknowledged the challenges of ageing.
His off-the-cuff remarks about health come as he continues a steady programme of engagements following his cancer diagnosis last year.
During his hospital visit, Charles also met other patients and staff, praising the work of doctors and nurses and thanking them for their dedication.
The new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital has been designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities for Birmingham and the Black Country, with the King’s visit underscoring his continuing commitment to public service despite health concerns.