Fit for a King: Charles swaps longevity tips with 101-year-old WWII veteran

It’s not every day you get to share tips on ageing well with a centenarian but that’s just what happened to King Charles III who shared longevity advice with a veteran from World War II.

The 76 year old monarch was visiting Lancaster Castle for the Ceremony of the Keys where he ran into D-Day veteran, Richard Brock, who he remembered from an official visit to Normandy last year.

King Charles said the 101 year old “looked fantastic” after finding out Brock’s age and then advised the veteran to “keep drinking the whiskey,” as reported in The Daily Mail.

Brock was accompanied by his son Tony, who revealed more about the conversation between his father and the monarch.

“He mentioned a nip of whisky and said to keep taking it,” the younger Brock said as per The Daily Mail.

The king arrived at the castle shortly before 11 am and was greeted by crowds of well-wishers, waving Union flags. Some spectators had been waiting since 5 am, according to the BBC.

Schoolchildren from local secondary schools including Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School and Ripley St Thomas lined the route outside the castle while pupils from Willow Lane Primary School were chosen to watch the ceremony.

King Charles, who is also the Duke of Lancaster, was handed the keys to the castle in front of the John O’Gaunt gateway as per the ancient ceremonial tradition.

The sovereign has participated in the tradition since 1851 when the keys were presented to Queen Victoria and which Queen Elizabeth II participated in in 2015, though the Duchy of Lancaster has belonged to the reigning sovereign since 1399.

King Charles’ most recent royal engagement comes after it was revealed that he is “on the better side” of his cancer journey.

The 76-year-old monarch – who has been receiving regular treatment after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in 2024 – spoke to florist Safeena Khan about his health, during a visit to Bradford to celebrate its status as the UK’s City of Culture.

Khan told MailOnline: “He asked me how I was, and I asked him how he was. There was some pleasantries towards the end, but it was a lovely conversation.”

The florist added that Charles gave her a “thumbs up” when she asked about his health and told her: “I’d like to think I’m on the better side (of my cancer journey)”.