'I broke protocol to get more time with King'

18 December 2025

David HumphreysLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — Mark King was accompanied to the ceremony at Windsor Castle by his wife Joanne, and Oliver's younger brother Ben

Family photo A middle-aged couple and a younger man - all wearing smart dark-coloured suits - pose for a photograph at Windsor Castle. The older man is holding an OBE and the woman is holding a framed photo of a boy dressed in a red football kit. — Mark King was accompanied to the ceremony at Windsor Castle by his wife Joanne, and Oliver's younger brother Ben

A charity campaigner whose son died after suffering a cardiac arrest has told how he broke Royal protocol to spend more time talking to King Charles.

Mark King, from Liverpool, said he jokingly addressed the monarch "from one King to another" when presented with an OBE for his services to charity in a ceremony at Windsor Castle in November.

Yet despite his allocated time with the head of state being up, Mr King said he thought "I've not finished" and managed to sneak in some extra time and elicit a laugh from the the head of the Royal family.

Mr King, 63, said he was pleased King Charles knew of the work of the foundation and asked him about his late son, Oliver.

"I was talking to him and he was interested. You know when someone's interested, and he was," he said.

Family handout Oliver King has short brown hair and is wearing a white shirt and a dark-coloured top. He is smiling at the camera. — Oliver King died in 2011 after his heart stopped during a school swimming lesson

Mr King said he had been told in a briefing that he would get two or three minutes with the King, who would then put his hand out, which was a signal for him to move on.

"So, I thought, 'I haven't finished talking to you,' and he put his hand out, so I put mine on top for a few seconds more," he said.

"He knew and burst out laughing but it was great. The whole experience was fantastic.

"To be fair, he knew a lot about the foundation and he said, tell me about Oliver."

'This is for Ol'

Mr King, from Childwall, set up the Oliver King Foundation after his son suffered a cardiac arrest aged 12 during a swimming lesson at King David High School in Wavertree.

Since his son's death, he has devoted his efforts to improving access to defibrillators, with his campaign leading to the government ensuring every state school in England has access to a life-saving machine.

A total of 7,000 defibrillators have been given out and more than 80 lives have been saved due to the work of the Oliver King Foundation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr King is hoping to set up the UK's first cardiac testing and prevention centre in Liverpool and he said that, while he took pride in his OBE, this meant much more to him.

"This isn't for me. This is for our Ol," he said.

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