People in Sunderland remember the times they talked to King Charles III on his royal visits

He has been a regular visitor to Wearside and often stayed hours beyond his schedule just so he could chat to people.

Chris Cordner looks at the impression he made on locals.

In 2015, the then Prince of Wales toured Sunderland’s Nissan plant, to see the all-electric Leaf family car being built.

He also chatted with students including Venerable Bede Academy pupil Krista Shaw, 14, who was among the pupils on a week-long visit as part of the nationwide Industrial Cadets scheme.

"My friend told me Prince Charles was coming - she had the article on her phone, she was that excited, " she said.

‘I didn’t think I would meet him. It was unbelievable’

"So I did know he was coming, but I did not think I would get to meet him - it was absolutely unbelievable. He was asking about what we were doing and how this would help us in the future."

Classmate Jack Hamill was taken aback to find himself chatting with the VIP visitor.

"It was a fantastic experience, " he said. "I did not expect him to talk to us."

The Prince who loves to chat to the people of Wearside

Charles clearly loved Wearside on his 1985 visit. He ran an hour late on his schedule because he got so engrossed in chatting to the locals.

And when he left, he promised that he would be back soon.

There was a motorcade arrival and huge crowds to greet him, including Yvonne Phuphrate who was there with her sister Fiona McBride, from Hendon.

Yvonne said: "He does an enormous amount of good work for young people. He is always putting a lot of work into schemes to benefit them."

The Prince was visiting the Community Venture Project in St Thomas Street which he himself had initiated. In fact, he loved it so much it was his second visit there in four months.

A dab hand on the bowls green

It was 45 years ago this month that our King visited Crowtree Leisure Centre and chatted to bowls players before having a go at the game himself. Were you one of the bowlers who conversed with him?

Prince Charles met Derek Miller, from Great Lumley, in the early 1990s when the future King came to the Artix factory in Peterlee.

Artix later became the Caterpillar plant and Derek said: ““I was chosen to present His Royal Highness with two scale model articulated trucks and make a ‘thank you for visiting our plant’ speech.

‘He has an aura that simply relaxes you’

“The man had, and probably still does have, an aura around him that simply relaxes you.”

Prince Charles was in Durham in 2018 to officially open and look around Durham Cathedral’s Open Treasure visitor experience and enjoy a concert.

Alex Mackinder, a Classics student at Josephine Butler College, conducted the concert and met The Prince afterwards.

‘It has been a bit of a whirlwind’

Hayley Lam, a Music student at Hatfield College, was also introduced to The Prince afterwards.

She said: “It was great. To play some of the most rousing and patriotic music there is to The Prince - it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. It was very exciting.”

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