Do you ever wonder what's said during a royal walkabout?

A huge crowd greeted their arrival at the town’s Tapestry building and the royal couple split up to meet the public.

Sandra Henwood (Image: Sandra Henwood)

One of the first to meet King Charles was Friends of the BGH charity trustee Sandra Henwood. She thanked him so much for visiting Galashiels and reminded him that they had met before at the Chaplaincy building at the Borders General Hospital when Camilla, who was then Duchess of Rothsay officially opened a new Dexis scanner a few years ago,

Sandra said: “I didn't catch his reply but I'm told he said “thank you for waiting so long.”  It really was was a lovely, exciting and feel good day.”

Galashiels women Jean Loughton, Muriel Brown and Evelyn Lamb

As the King was chatting to Sandra, The Queen shook hands with Galashiels women Jean Loughton, Evelyn Lamb and Muriel Brown and game them a “lovey smile”.

Prior to entering the building, the couple stopped to speak to Kelso women Pat Straw and Ruth McGrath who were both bedecked in the Union flag.

Pat said: “It was a bit overwhelming. The King said I’d done well to get so many union jacks together and The Queen liked the union jacks on my head. I told them I hoped they enjoyed their visit to the Borders.

Jennifer Freedman with 'The King'

Ruth said: “I said “Welcome to the Scottish Borders, we are delighted to have you here to both of them and they both shook my hand. I won’t be washing it again.”

Galashiels woman Dorothy Howden had spent the previous day ironing the tablecloths in the Tapestry Centre along with her husband and had a photograph on her phone to prove it. She said: “I didn’t get the chance to tell him about the ironing as he was talking to the ladies next to me, but I hope to catch them on the way out and ask what they thought of the tablecloth. I’m expecting a damehood at the least.”

Ann Garvock with fellow protestors

Jennifer Freedman had made a wonderful papa mache bust of the king at the Care to Create studio using recycled material. She hoped to show him her effort but the walkabout ended just before he reached her.

But not everyone was pleased to see the royal couple.

Ann Garvock who is originally from Glasgow but now stays in Galashiels proudly displayed her ‘Not My King’ placard but when she first held it up, she was met with a chorus of booing from the crowd.

Ann pointed to a nearby police officer and said: “See him, he saved me from being lynched. I got a lot of abuse for my sign but I’m from Glasgow so I’m not ‘feart’.

“I came along to protest against the royals who have all this money. He’s not even Scottish, he’s an English king and she’s an English Queen. I am a proud Scot and what I’d like to know is why our Stone of Destiny was taken down to London for him to sit on?”