King Charles humorously remarked that he was "still alive" during a visit with the Queen to Walthamstow, following the peaceful anti-racist protest in the area in August.
The royal couple attended a reception at Waltham Forest Town Hall in east London on Friday, celebrating community cohesion, and acknowledged the crowds gathered outside.
When asked "How are you? " by Sikh faith representative Harvinder Rattan, the King responded with a smile: "I'm still alive." After their visit, the King and Queen greeted the crowds outside the town hall and took a stroll, having met representatives from various faith communities.
Camilla made a donation of 25 toys to Citizens UK during the visit, intended for children residing in asylum hotels, while a food bank donation was made on behalf of the King.
The donated items included Waitrose long-life milk cartons, Christmas puddings, custard and mince pies. Following a performance by A Little Choir of Joy, a children's choir, Charles wished them a very happy Christmas.
He then light-heartedly suggested that the choir members, aged eight to 12 from local schools, should "make the most of it" for their "poor teachers".
Haven Cafe, owned by former asylum seeker Usman Khalid who trains refugees to become baristas, supplied the refreshments for the reception.
Following disturbances in various parts of the UK, a significant number of individuals assembled in Walthamstow on August 7 for a counter-demonstration, while those who intended to protest outside an immigration centre did not appear.
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The area in north-east London was among numerous sites designated for protests, with concerns over potential widespread disorder. However, a crowd of at least 5,000 counter-protesters convened outside the immigration facility, declaring their opposition to racism and violence.
Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy was present to welcome the royal couple at the town hall, expressing that their visit "means a lot". Post-visit, the Labour MP commented to the PA news agency: "The far-right are very active in our local community, and they continue to come and protest here.
"That means that we as a community have to be constantly vigilant and it means a lot that the King has recognised the community, the grassroots activism. We never want to get to a place again where people are having to challenge the far right on our streets."
Buckingham Palace acknowledged the peaceful protest as a demonstration of the "true community spirit of the borough, coming together to keep people and communities safe".
In December 2023, Waltham Forest was officially honoured as a Borough of Sanctuary by the national charity City of Sanctuary.
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