King Charles III encountered mannequins that "speak", "breathe" and "blink" during his visit to open a medical hub an east London university today (Wednesday, February 8).
After meeting charities and businesses in Whitechapel and Brick Lane this morning alongside the Queen Consort, the King made his way to the Stratford campus of the University of East London (UEL).
As part of his Stratford visit, which marked the university's 125th anniversary, His Majesty opened The Hospital and Primary Care Training Hub.
He met student nurses who showed him six different mannequins that can "bleed" and "urinate", saying: "They are quite realistic, aren’t they?"
The King then quipped: "Ah, somebody who is real" when he was presented to a student who was demonstrating a diabetes treatment.
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The hub has been designed to train future generations of NHS professionals and to work towards tackling health inequalities across the country.
In UEL's multi-professional healthcare ward and intensive care ward, King Charles met trainees and staff who are working in a range of fields, including nursing, physiotherapy and podiatry.
Here, the staff explained how simulated mannequins are now being used to provide students with a realistic experience of providing medical help to patients.
His Majesty had earlier met three mothers, Unique West Alese, Madeleine Wright and Hannah Bosley and their infants, who are taking part in research at UEL's BabyDevLab.
The lab aims to understand how babies think and behave and is currently investigating how growing up in an urban environment affects children.
As part of his visit, the King was gifted posies by schoolchildren and was also greeted by a choir made up of year 6 students from Sandringham Primary School in Forest Gate and older UEL students.
The choir performed an original song written by music lecturer Tristan Parkes about sustainability, which was composed specially for the King's visit.
The King's last stop was at the Great Hall where he met researchers who are working towards pioneering advances in sustainability.
Dr Shaherah Jordan, who is undertaking research into the purchasing behaviours of ethnic minorities, said: "It just felt really nice to have an audience like [him] to share your research with.
"And [he asked] meaningful questions - they weren't superficial.
"He genuinely wanted to know what the difference was in the purchasing behaviour of ethnic minorities.
"Sometimes it's hard to even get your family interested in what you're researching so to have a total stranger interested was wonderful."
Vice-chancellor and president of UEL, Professor Amanda Broderick, said she thought King Charles III was most impressed by the sustainability exhibition.
"Clearly that's what he's passionate about and that's what a lot of his work and all the foundations have done as well," she added.
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PhD student Stephanie Skipp said: "He was really friendly. He seemed really warm.
"He came straight in and shook your hand which was a bit of a surprise. You kind of expect him to be very formal but it felt like a lovely exchange."
Julian Ellis-Brown, co-founder and CEO of Saltyco, a materials science company that makes sustainable textiles, presented a body-warmer that he had designed for King Charles.
Julian said: "The King mentioned that it was lucky we hadn't included arms [on the design] so it was more likely to fit him!
"His reputation precedes him in terms of his passion for sustainability so I knew his knowledge for it and that really came through."
Prof Broderick, who led the King around the university campus, thanked His Majesty for visiting and for opening the new medical hub.
The King ended his visit by unveiling a plaque which said: "To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the University of East London by His Majesty King Charles III on 8th February 2023."
Earlier in the day, the King and Queen Consort visited Altab Ali Park in Whitechapel and Brick Lane.
The couple planted an elm tree in memory of Altab Ali, a young man fatally stabbed in a racist attack in 1978, who had the open space renamed in his honour.
They shook hands with and chatted to well-wishers and even received a takeaway from a south Asian restaurant.
They also visited Brick Lane Mosque during the visit, hosted by British Bangladeshi Power and Inspiration in partnership with Tower Hamlets Council.
Ayesha Qureshi and Abdal Ullah co-founded the British Bangladeshi Power & Inspiration Foundation 12 years ago.
Ms Qureshi said she was “humbled” by the King acting on their offer to visit the heart of the Bangladeshi community, adding: “(It) just goes to show how engaged His Majesty is with the community in the United Kingdom, with multiculturalism, with the anti-racism movement.
“It may seem little, it’s just a visit, but actually the poignancy of it, I think, is very fundamental to what I hope will be a marker of his reign.”
When the King and Queen Consort first arrived in Brick Lane, dancers threw petals on the ground ahead of them as a drummer hammered out a rhythmic beat.
Residents and passers-by lined crash barriers as the couple walked up the famous street, which was temporarily closed to traffic for their visit.
In a lighter moment, Camilla stroked Betty the Jack Russell terrier, whose owner, Salvatore Scotti, 48, had taken his pet, named after the late Queen, to meet the royal visitors.
The King and Queen Consort also met leading women from the local community in a restaurant, where they were given a takeaway bag of treats including jalabi, a sticky dessert enjoyed in South Asia.
Additional reporting by PA.
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