King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the London Zoo on Wednesday, where they took part in several activities, including giving a penguin a health check, feeding a Galápagos tortoise a special birthday cake and painting a snail. During the visit, which took place amid Britain’s ongoing heat wave, the king joked that he wanted to “join the penguins” in their pool to cool off.
The visit was King Charles’ first official tour of the London Zoo as patron of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). He first visited the zoo when he was 1 year old to see Brumas, a newborn polar bear cub. Every British monarch has served as patron of the ZSL since 1828.
During the visit, the king and queen learned about plans for a new wildlife center announced by the ZSL to mark its 200th anniversary.
The new center will study diseases affecting animals, train wildlife veterinarians, monitor how diseases spread between species, support conservation projects around the world and provide improved veterinary facilities for animals at the ZSL’s London and Whipsnade zoos.
The royal couple was welcomed by dozens of Humboldt penguins as they visited the penguin enclosure, where they joined zoo veterinarian Stefan Saverimuttu for a routine health check.
The king and queen used stethoscopes to listen to the heartbeat of a penguin named Lannister while the bird calmly sat on a rock.
Wearing a blue suit, an animal-themed tie and sunglasses despite the hot weather, King Charles joked that he wanted to join the penguins.
The couple also took part in a laser-training exercise designed to encourage the penguins to swim and dive. The laser lights imitate the shiny scales of fish, helping veterinarians observe the birds’ movements and identify any potential health problems.
As part of the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the Zoological Society of London, the king and queen also met a 31-year-old Galápagos tortoise named Polly and presented her with a birthday cake made of watermelon, decorated with the number 200 and flowers.
Queen Camilla used metal tongs to feed Polly some greens, while King Charles offered food by hand. Polly ignored the king’s offering, prompting him to jokingly ask her keeper whether the tortoise was on a “diet.”
