King Charles Is All Smiles as Visiting Sports Team Makes Bold Request of Him
If there's one assumption most of us probably have about a meeting with a member of the royal family, it's that physical contact—beyond, perhaps, a handshake—is undoubtedly off limits.
However, King Charles was all smiles during a recent engagement, where a group of athletes dogpiled into a group hug with the monarch.
New Zealand's Black Ferns, a women's rugby team, was in attendance at a reception at Buckingham Palace ahead of their matchup against the English women's team on Saturday, Sept. 14, where they made a bold request of the king, as seen in a video published by the BBC.
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The royal leaned in close in the circle of women, listening attentively as several of the girls giggled while winger Ayesha Leti-I'iga said, "...we all wanted a hug. But, only if it's okay with you."
"A hug?" he clarified, first seeming surprised before adding, "Why not?" with a smile creeping across his face.
It quickly grew as the team broke into excited laughter, jumping in to hug him all at once. Then, one team member who hadn't fit into the group got her own, personal embrace with the king.
The jovial conversation continued as they broke away, before the monarch eventually admitted that the group hug was "like being flattened by a scrum" after one of the players told him, "We didn't mean to tackle you!"
Before the players left, the king addressed them again, telling them, "I much appreciated this chance to meet you, and to have such a warm hug!" adding that it was "very healing."
Charles, of course, has been battling an unspecified form of cancer all year, so to call the hug "very healing" may be a subtle comment as to the status of his health, too.