King Charles tells rain-soaked Grimsby crowd to ‘visit the pub'

King Charles brought his good humour again to a rain-soaked visit to Grimsby on Thursday, jokingly suggesting well-wishers should "visit the pub."

Despite the pouring rain, crowds lined the streets to welcome His Majesty, with members of the public presenting him with flowers during the visit. 

The visit formed part of a busy day focused on celebrating the organisations, businesses and community leaders helping to shape Grimsby's future.

According to the Royal Family's official Instagram account, the King met local leaders and representatives from groups working to create new opportunities and improve life across the town.

One of the first stops was Horizon Youth Zone, where His Majesty spent time with young people and learned about the after-school programmes designed to build confidence, develop social skills and support personal growth.

The King later visited The CARE hub, a community care and housing organisation that provides practical support and assistance to local residents.

His final engagement took him to Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town Football Club, one of England's oldest professional football clubs. 

The monarch was presented with a personalised Grimsby Town shirt featuring the number three and "HM King Charles" on the back by the club's Mighty Mariner mascot. 

At the club, Charles met representatives from the Our Future collective, a community-led charity working to create positive change across Grimsby.

Simon Beeton, chief executive of mental health provider Navigo, revealed that the King offered practical support after hearing about plans to plant 10,000 new trees across Grimsby.

The visit also produced a light-hearted moment when Francine Orr, Grimsby Town's ticket office manager, accidentally greeted the monarch with a cheerful "All right darling" before quickly apologising. 

Charles reportedly laughed off the mistake, replying: "That's OK. I like being called darling."