Members and refugees from a Hammersmith-based refugee centre recounted their experience meeting King Charles in the lead-up to the coronation.
The soon-to-be-crowned-King Charles made the visit to the Hammersmith-based refugee charity, West London Welcome, on Thursday 28 April, 2022.
The then Prince of Wales arranged the royal visit after speaking with one of the members of West London Welcome while making an appearance at another west London-based refugee charity.
Deputy director of West London Welcome, Leyla Williams, is one of the 40 members who were in attendance during the royal visit, where the King sat and spoke with people who had crossed the channel to seek safety in the UK.
Williams said: “It was actually through an asylum seeking member of ours that we managed to make the visit happen.
“He was at a church in West London and the then prince Charles was visiting and seeing what support they were providing.
“They ended up talking and then the member got talking to Charles’ personal assistant and then a visit was arranged.”
The King was given a guided tour of the West London Welcome centre, where he sat with numerous members and listened to their stories.
Who did the King speak to?
Williams said: “We really wanted him to meet a whole diverse range of our members, so some people who had come by plane – some by small boat.
“In particular he spoke to one of our community members who is Iranian and now has refugee status and came across the channel on a small boat from Calais to Dover.
“He’s a very brave man and he spoke to Charles about the reason why he left which was religious persecution.
“Charles was very concerned by what he heard.”
As well as speaking with the members about their experiences, the King also made stops at the various facilities available at the centre, observing English classes, the gardens, and the kitchens.
Williams said: “Our Libyan chef cooks an amazing aubergine dish and he wanted her recipe.
“He asked for one of his staff to form a letter to get the recipe and she was quite coy about giving it at first.”
What was it like to meet the King?
The volunteer responsible for guiding the King around the West London Welcome centre, Omar, explained that the King was only scheduled to stay for 30 minutes to an hour, but stayed for more than an hour, speaking to members.
Omar said: “He talked as much as he could with people with the timings and the plan we had.
“He was walking around and chatting with everyone – the adults and the children.
“He came in and shook my hand and we had a little chat before we began the tour and he made me feel very comfortable to have a conversation with him.”
Omar’s interaction with the King is something that he says has given him and his family over seas a great sense of pride.
Omar said: “I told my mother, she’s in Syria, and she started to cry and I said: “why are you crying?” And she said: “You’re amazing and I’m proud of you.”
“For me it was an important day.
“He’s an amazing person, not just because he is a king, but because he is a very nice person to talk to.”
Featured image credit: Betul Piyade
