King Charles has been thanked by striking bin workers in Birmingham for his "little" gesture while visiting the city.
The monarch was in the Second City to officially open the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital and meet a host of patients, volunteers and clinical staff.
Streets in Birmingham are currently being buried under piles of rubbish that have gone uncollected as bin workers continue to strike in protest of proposed pay cuts.
The Unite union said the council told the bin workers they would face pay cuts of up to £8,000, which amounted to as much as a quarter of some staff's wages.
King Charles has been thanked by striking Birmingham bin workers for 'acknowledging' them
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While the King has maintained his constitutional duty of remaining neutral in political matters, demonstrating workers were nonetheless grateful for his "acknowledgement" during the visit.
During the visit, the King was seen briefly waving from the window of his car at assembled protesters from the Unite union behind a police cordon outside the hospital.
While it remains unclear if the King was deliberately gesturing towards the demonstrators, workers who had gathered with flags and banners celebrated the gesture.
"He gave us a little wave. Our problem is not with him, it’s with the local council – but hopefully now that he’s seen us, the King will raise the issue with Keir Starmer," Shane Edwards, a Unite senior organiser, said.
Assembled protesters celebrated Charles, who appeared to wave at them from his car window while opening the city's Midland Metropolitan University Hospital
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"It would be nice if the King would go down to the worst-hit areas and visit the workers on strike to see how people are being affected, but I realise it's difficult for him in terms of security," Mr Edwards told The Mirror.
The streets outside the Midland Metropolitan hospital had been kept orderly, but other areas of Birmingham remain blighted by mounting refuse.
Others gathered at the protest also weighed in, thanking the King for his "recognition".
"I would like to thank His Majesty for his acknowledgement towards our struggle. Recognition means we are being heard," Bin worker Mike Masters told the paper.
Rubbish has been piling on the streets of Birmingham for months as bin workers protest a proposed pay cut
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While at the hospital, the King engaged in heartfelt and lively conversations with patients – empathising by sharing his own frustrations with ageing.
Charles 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, adding: "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.
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While visiting the hospital, the King shared candid conversations with patients
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Later, Charles told a cancer patient, "I’m not too bad," when asked about his own journey with the illness.
The monarch added that "half the problem is detecting it in time," and said doctors are "better at dealing" with cancer.
"There’s always hope down the road," he said with a warm smile.
As the King’s departed from Second City, the dispute between bin workers and the Birmingham City Council continues to rumble on.
A ballot held in June saw 97 per cent of workers voting in favour of more strike action on a 75 per cent turnout, according to Unite, meaning the industrial action is set to continue until Christmas.