King Charles's Zoo Visit Draws Comparisons To Queen Elizabeth's Very Different Reaction
For the outing, the King and Queen displayed couple goals with their outfits designed around a wildlife theme.
King Charles has been a vocal advocate for the environment and animal rights; he is often seen engaging in activities that help heal the ecosystem. Last month, Buckingham Palace proudly shared rare footage of the then-21-year-old Prince to commemorate London Climate Action Week. Queen Camilla is also known to do her bit in addressing environmental issues; hence, it was obvious that Their Majesties would celebrate the Zoological Society of London's 200th anniversary by visiting the famed London Zoo. Reportedly, as a patron, this was Charles' first-ever visit to the Regent Park attraction. While there, he was like a child set out on a wild adventure, unlike his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, who looked rather petrified in the pictures shared by the Royal Family's Instagram handle.
Charles and Camilla were adoringly captured performing a health check on a Humboldt penguin named Lannister, alongside veterinarian Stefan Saverimuttu. Despite the unbearable heat wave, the monarch was seen happily examining the penguin with a red stethoscope, while Camilla held her cream parasol to beat the blistering sun as she crouched to perform the same action on the absolutely calm creature with a blue stethoscope.
"Lannister sounded perfect and was very well behaved for the King and the Queen," the vet later revealed. "They're very endearing," the King remarked despite braving "a bit of a beak" from Lannister, GBN News reported. Their Majesties also spent time with Polly, a 31-year-old Galápagos tortoise; however, in a funny twist, Polly refused to get hand-fed by King Charles, who then joked about whether she was on a "diet". Polly was also presented with other treats, like a watermelon with 200 carved on it and flowers to celebrate the occasion.
They also engaged with ZSL's initiative to prevent the extinction of Partula tree snails while visiting the Tiny Giants area. King Charles was bemused that he had to paint tracking marks on the tiny creatures for monitoring. He likened the purple paint to "special snail varnish." For the outing, the King and Queen displayed a couple of goals with their outfits designed around a wildlife theme. Charles looked dapper in a blue-striped suit, an animal-print tie, and sunglasses. Camilla chose to wear an animal-motif summer dress by her favorite designer, Fiona Clare.
In the afternoon, the royal family shared a special carousel of images of the royals interacting with various wildlife. In the very first image, the late Queen Elizabeth is seen standing and observing penguins while other children seem to be feeding them. The Queen's demeanor looked rather plain and serious, a slight petrification, maybe, while King Charles exhibited the opposite.
The pictures also showcased the King and the Prince of Wales, Prince William, touring a tiger enclosure in 2013, and in another picture, the King and Princess Royal, Princess Anne, meeting Sir David Attenborough and a cockatoo in 1958. Other images included Prince Philip meeting a gorilla and an elephant, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh interacting with giraffes and monkeys.
