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King's visit leaves joggers 'speechless'

Shivani Chaudhari
News imagePA Media Image of King Charles. He is smiling while standing outside PA Media
The King paid a surprise visit to runners, and walkers, in Sandringham ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February

Members of a cancer charity had a surprise visit from their royal landlord during a Parkrun earlier.

King Charles III attended the 5km (3 mile) running and walking event at the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk as a spectator. While there is Parkrun there every Saturday, once a month it is organised with Move Against Cancer charity's 5K Your Way group.

This is the second year in a row King Charles has surprised the runners by making an appearance.

Organisers of the "5KYW" event wrote on Facebook to say they had been left "speechless again".

News imagePA Media A woman standing next to King Charles, who is wearing a brown zip-up jacket and waving at a runner. There are a few runners waving at him as they are running. PA Media
Scores of surprised runners were waving at King Charles as they took part in the Parkrun
News imagePA Media People running, jogging or walking through a muddy path. The King is standing facing them with his back to the camera. People are waving at the King and he is waving back. The King is wearing a brown zip up jacket. PA Media
The Parkrun at Sandringham takes in two laps of a circuit in the Royal Park

"A heartfelt thank you to His Majesty The King for greeting us on the first lap of Sandringham parkrun in the beautiful setting of the Sandringham Estate this morning," the post continued.

The King has been receiving cancer treatment as an outpatient since early February 2024.

News imageAaron Chown/PA Two runners and a dog on a metalled road at Sandringham Parkrun. King Charles and a race volunteer are standing at the edge of the road, with woodland behind them.Aaron Chown/PA
The circuit includes a "mixture of permanent paths and trail paths"
News imageAaron Chown/PA A woman wearing a pink hi-vis jacket holds a sign that says "YES!!! THAT REALLY WAS HIS MAJESTY THE KING ON YOUR FIRST LAP!" King Charles III is standing next to her in a brown coat and trousers. There is woodland behind them.Aaron Chown/PA
Runners may have been surprised, but organisers had a sign ready for Saturday's event
News image5KYW Move Against Cancer/Facebook A rear view of about a dozen people running along a muddy trail in a pine woodland.5KYW Move Against Cancer/Facebook

Parkrun was founded in 2004 and now hundreds of thousands of people across 22 countries and five continents take part in free, weekly, timed five-kilometre running events each weekend in parks and other locations.

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