The night before the coronation, all eyes were on a special reception for overseas guests held at Buckingham Palace with British Royal Family members, First Lady Jill Biden and other dignitaries from around the world.
Prior to the reception, King Charles was joined by Kate Middleton and Prince William for a surprise walkabout on The Mall by the palace, where they greeted Londoners and shook hands to ring in the celebratory weekend.
The three royals exited their cars around 1:45 p.m. local time for the spontaneous meet and greet, rewarding those who had camped out in the streets before the ceremony, reports People.
Princess Kate, 41, Prince William, 40, and King Charles, 74, appeared to shake as many hands as possible.
“I shook [Charles’] hand and chatted with him,” said Lovel Vining from Toronto, who was in attendance. “He saw my hat and asked me where I am from in Canada and said he liked that part of the world.”
After the walkabout, the family entered Buckingham Palace for lunch where they played host to governors-general and prime ministers who had traveled to London.
The Prince and Princess of Wales coordinated in black and white for the event, and chatted with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and others.
Later in the evening, a separate reception at the palace began to welcome foreign dignitaries who traveled to the U.K. for Saturday’s coronation.
Princess Kate and Prince William returned in new outfits and mingled with First Lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden, as well as Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
Kate also took time to snap a photo with Jill Biden and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.
King Charles also stepped out to hang with the foreign royals, including Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.
The reception marked a change in the typical guest list. In the past, monarchs from other countries did not attend a British king or queen’s crowning ceremony, but sent consorts or other family members to represent them.