THOUSANDS lined the streets to welcome King Charles III to York to unveil a statue of his mother - which they described as both "amazing" and "beautiful."
The statue, designed and carved by York Minster stone mason Richard Bossons, was unveiled from behind a purple curtain by the King, along with Camilla, at York Minster on Wednesday afternoon.
The crowds gathered with Union Jack flags, hats, gloves and jumpers to mark the King's arrival.
Among the crowds were Jayne Lawn and Suzanne Kay, who are both York residents, and said they were pleased with the "great" turnout for the King - and said the statue was a lovely way to mark Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
Jayne said: "She served our country so well for so many years. She was a remarkable lady who deserves to remembered in this way."
Meanwhile, three friends Nicola Brown, Merryl Iddon and Julie Lowe were among the crowd in Duncombe Place with their Union Jack flags to welcome King Charles.
The trio, who all work together in the Wigan area, had planned a trip to York to celebrate Julie's 10th anniversary at their workplace - and had no idea there was a Royal Visit planned for the same time.
Merryl said: "We booked this trip a while ago and had no clue this was happening - but it's a pleasant surprise.
"We were given our Union Jack flags at breakfast this morning at the Dean Court Hotel, where we're staying."
All three said they are big fans of the Royal Family.
Watching from the York Oratory, Brother Paul Murray said it was an "amazing and exciting" occasion for the city.
Paul, who said he is a big time fan of the royals, came to York from America in January to join the York Oratory.
Married couple Sue and Grahame Stewart, who live in York, were stood near the main entrance of the Minster to welcome the King with a big Union Jack flag.
Sue said: "We're huge fans of everyone in the Royal Family - we love them.
"The statue is beautiful - and we're so pleased there has been such a great turnout for them.
"Our daughter is in the crowd somewhere as well with another big flag."
The statue was commissioned by the Chapter of York, the governing body for York Minster, to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee – the first British monarch to reign for 70 years.
The vision to create a statue has been a core element of the York Minster Precinct Neighbourhood Plan since its inception in 2018 - and was the first phase of a wider scheme of urban regeneration at the West Front of the Minster to create a new public square and civic space.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here