PRINCESS Kate and Prince William beamed as they joined King Charles to greet superfans and pose for selfies during a walkabout on the Mall ahead of the coronation.
Charles, William and Kate made the surprise appearance to the delight of huge crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace.
The trio took time to shake hands with members of the public as people cheered, took selfies and sang God Save the King.
King Charles joked about the weather with adoring fans on the Mall today after they were soaked by heavy rain.
He also asked royalists if they were camping out ahead of his Coronation as shook their hands and laughed with them.
Law student Abigail Summers, 21, from Cambridge, on the Mall with her pal Millie Holtz, 21, said: “We said congratulations to him and he said, ‘are you here tomorrow, did you camp overnight?’
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“He then said, ‘I hope you didn’t get too wet when it rained!’
“Then he was just laughing. It was amazing and really surreal.”
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Criminology and sociology student Millie added: “It was exciting and quite overwhelming.
“It’s funny seeing someone in real life that you’ve only ever seen on TV.
“He was really friends and made a lot of eye contact which was nice.”
Kate told fans: "We’re like swans – calm on the outside, furiously paddling on the inside."
The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another to greet well-wishers.
One woman told Charles "Love you Charlie" while others passed on their congratulations to him.
Kate and William posed for selfies with fans, while Kate even appeared to join a fan in a video call before also speaking on another fan's phone before handing it back.
Royal super fan Carole, from Minnesota, said: "This is the best day of my life. I'm so excited. The best of British.
"My heart is British. They're real people, not Disney characters."
Alison Cowburn, 62, from Derby, who arrived in central London this morning, was in the cheering crowd during Charles' walkabout on The Mall, and shook his hand.
She said: "I said it was very nice to meet him and he said 'have you been camping?'
"I said no we are just down for the day and he said 'nothing so rash as that then'."
On how she felt after the encounter, she said: "Brilliant, so delighted. Absolutely ecstatic."
Earlier, the King took part a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, where a 2,300-strong coronation congregation, and a television audience likely to be in the tens of millions, will watch him being crowned on Saturday.
The royals greeted crowds after the King hosted a special lunch for realm prime ministers and governors general at Buckingham Palace.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were also at the event, which took place 24 hours before the coronation.
Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
There were 42 attendees in total, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.
Guests arrived in the white drawing room before a drinks reception in the music room followed by lunch in the blue drawing room.
Mr Sunak was laughing and chatting with guests while Kate, wearing a white dress, spoke to leaders including Mr Albanese and Mr Hipkins.
Later, Charles, who is head of the Commonwealth, will also attend a Commonwealth Heads of Government leaders' meeting and garden reception at Marlborough House.
Some 100 heads of state will descend on London for the King and Queen Consort's historic coronation on Saturday, with international representatives from 203 countries due to attend.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany and Italy's ceremonial presidents Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be among those in Westminster Abbey.
Chinese vice-president Han Zheng, who presided over a civil liberties crackdown in Hong Kong, is also on the King's guest list, but the move has been branded "outrageous" by Conservative MPs.
FINAL REHEARSAL
Earlier Charles and Camilla were snapped smiling and waving at fans from their cars as they made their way past the crowds to a final rehearsal at Westminster Abbey.
Police on motorcycles drove ahead of the royals, as they moved past the masses.
Royal Family lovers stood in the drizzling rain, held back behind metal rails, just to catch a glimpse of the pair.
Most held their phones in the air capturing the moment as the cars drove past, while others frantically waved at the King.
Other enthusiasts were spotted dressed in Union Jacks on The Mall.
As they day went on the crowds were drenched in a downpour, with snaps showing them trying to find shelter as the rain poured.
This morning other royal fans thought they spotted a huge error on a coronation award handed to staff.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport unveiled snaps of the nickel silver medal this morning, featuring the images of Charles and Camilla.
But many took to Twitter to point out an apparent mistake.
It comes as drivers have been warned of Bank Holiday traffic chaos.
Thousands of motorists have already taken to the roads for King Charles' coronation with traffic building throughout the morning.
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From this afternoon the capital will come to a standstill as roads are closed for the King's processions.
From 4pm today until 9pm on Saturday May 6, 2023, streets throughout central London will be shutting down ahead of the crowning of Charles, while road restrictions will also be playing out locally.
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