Queen plays ping-pong as Royals tour Teesside

Queen Camilla joined in a game of table tennis as she and King Charles took a tour of Middlesbrough.

The Queen, a fan of the sport, joined teenagers for an impromptu knockabout during a day of meetings, entertainment and activities.

The Royal Couple attended several engagements before a celebratory walkabout in Centre Square.

It is the first time the King has officially visited north-east England since he was crowned in 2022 and the first visit to the town by a reigning monarch since Queen Elizabeth II opened Pallister Park in 1993.

Ahead of greeting the crowd in Centre Square, the King and Queen attended the International Centre to meet representatives of a number of charities and organisations including a group from the King's Trust supporting an initiative to tackle knife crime.

Among those introduced to the Royals was Rona Grafton, originally from Teesville, on what was her 100th birthday.

Described as "funny and sarcastic" by staff at Gables Care Home where she lives, Rona had her surprise treat arranged by the local council and Buckingham Palace.

Earlier the King put on a hard hat and fluorescent jacket to tour SeAH Wind's XXXL wind turbine factory on Teesside.

But official business soon gave way to fun as Queen Camilla grabbed a bat and partnered another birthday celebrant, 15-year-old Alesha Hussain, in a game with Kaleb Autsun, 14.

Alesha, who was representing a young carers' group, said: "She was good, I didn't know she liked table tennis."

Kaleb added: "It was nice, that was a new experience because I've never seen any of the Royal Family before."

Later, in Centre Square, local musician and mental health campaigner Mike McGrother led performances of songs and poetry that celebrated the area.

He was joined by the Infant Hercules Choir and The Wildcats of Kilkenny.

BBC Radio Tees reporter Louise Hobson said: "Excited cheers erupted from the crowds as King Charles and Queen Camilla emerged on the steps of the town hall."

One woman travelled up from London to witness the visit because she thought it would be "an adventure".

She said she was "a real fan" of Queen Elizabeth II and wanted to "honour her memory by supporting her son".

Anti-monarchy protesters also gathered.

A representative of the charity Republic told BBC Radio Tees they were there to "demonstrate that there is a significant and growing proportion of people who don't agree with the monarchy".

The year of the last big royal visit to the town saw mixed fortunes for football, the arts, leisure and petty thieves.

Middlesbrough were playing in what was then the all-new Premier League having been one of its founder members, although the joy did not last long as they were relegated from it in May.

One of the town's most eye-catching sculptures, the 30ft (9.1m) Bottle of Notes, was installed in the same year, having been made by steelworkers in Hebburn, South Tyneside, as part of plans to regenerate the region.

Elsewhere in the town, the Victorian-built Empire Theatre reopened as a bar and Marks & Spencer introduced CCTV - then becoming increasingly prevalent - to help its security guards identify shoplifters in its now-closed Linthorpe Road branch.

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