Scottish MTB YouTuber, McTrail Rider, recently uploaded a riding trip video of him and his pals as they explored the Balmoral Estate. As they rode up a fire road, they bumped into King Charles who was out strolling on his own but stopped for a quick chat. You can watch the bizarre encounter below, which was all captured on camera (skip to 4:25 for the meeting).
Whether you're a republican or a monarchist, it's refreshing that the King was out for a ramble all on his own, as we're so used to seeing heads of state being mobbed by teams of security heavies wherever they go. That said, a little further up the trail, the riders encountered a well armed but very polite security team. It's also good to see that King Charlie was down to earth enough to stop for a chat with the MTBers and had an interest in the local area.
Andrew McAvoy (aka McTrail Rider) described the encounter. "We were riding on Balmoral Estate, and there were plenty of Range Rovers and guards with guns, but we didn't actually expect to see or speak to the King in the way that we did. I'm not a big fan of the Royal family, in fact, I suppose I could be described as anti-establishment. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy meeting King Charles, and it doesn't stop him from being a very nice man to talk to either."
