One of our senior editors recounts what it was like to welcome King Charles III and Queen Camilla to her small hometown in Virginia.
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, a historic parish with ties to the American Civil war, stands at the end of Front Royal’s Main Street where, on April 30, the reigning king and queen of England were welcomed. A few parishioners watching from the church steps, with the help of binoculars, managed to catch a glimpse of British royalty as they passed by in their motorcade.
Nestled in Virginia’s rural Shenandoah Valley, Front Royal residents are accustomed to the knowledge that people of some importance, from celebrities to the world’s leading religious and political figures, frequently visit the (somewhat) nearby U.S. capital. A number of locals even work in Washington.
But a formal visit by King Charles III, the United Kingdom’s reigning monarch, and Queen Camilla to the small town of Front Royal was a happy surprise, if very unexpected.
“One of the reasons that I wanted to bring my children and be here is not just for the opportunity to possibly see dignitaries from England, so much as what it means to Front Royal,” said Maria O’Brien, a parishioner of St. John’s, as she and her family waited along Main Street, “our community coming together in a historic moment for Front Royal, which is really special to us because my children have all grown up here.”
“It’s just such an unexpected and kind of iconic moment, and to be part of it as our community is really special to me,” she told the Register of the town that is also home to Christendom College.
Cheers rang out along the streets as King Charles and Queen Camilla, sitting in the back seat of a black BMW, smiled and waved at the crowds, many of whom had waited hours for a chance to see the royal couple. The route took them down Main Street, past many of the town’s small businesses — including the aptly named (for the occasion) Royal Cinemas — to the town’s gazebo for a “block party” and a parade featuring bands from the local high schools.
The royal entourage then made its way to nearby Shenandoah National Park, which includes part of the ancient Blue Ridge Appalachian Mountain range that closely borders the town. As King Charles referenced during his April 28 speech to Congress, the geographic history of the Appalachians is linked to the Cairngorms of the Scottish Highlands, having once been connected in prehistoric times.
Front Royal marked the final leg of the royal state visit to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence from Great Britain. Although there had been rumors that the royal motorcade may pass through town, the announcement that an actual visit would take place came just days prior.
For Simone Lash, a student of Chelsea Academy, a local Catholic private school, the historical significance of the visit to Front Royal isn’t lost on her.
“Learning history is one thing,” she said. But it’s another thing to have “the opportunity to drive less than 10 minutes, to maybe stand and wait for a while, but also have the opportunity to see someone who is living out history.”
Some residents compared the royal visit to another visit to Front Royal, decades prior, by actor and singer Bing Crosby, prompting the town to name its baseball stadium after the celebrity. This event became part of the town’s “collective memory,” said O’Brien.
“I imagine this” — the visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla — “is going to be pretty epic in our town and community’s history in the long run,” she added, “which I think is really special.”