King Charles III makes first visit to Isle of Man as Lord of Mann

Summary

King Charles III visits the Isle of Man for the first time since he became monarch
The King, who is known as the Lord of Mann on the island, last visited in 2012 while he was Prince of Wales
He addressed Tynwald, the Manx parliament, attended a garden party at Government House and has taken a trip on the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway

Live Reporting

Edited by Catherine Nicoll and Ewan Gawne

Goodbye and slane lhiupublished at 16:00 BST
We are bringing our live page covering King Charles's first visit to the Isle of Man since his coronation to a close.
Thank you, or gura mie eu in Manx Gaelic, for following our coverage as the King met crowds in the capital of Douglas and elsewhere.
Alex Blake will have full coverage of the monarch's visit on BBC North West Tonight from 18:30 on BBC One, and if you miss that, you can catch up later on BBC iPlayer.
That's all from the team on the island, so goodbye, or in Manx, slane lhiu!
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King Charles's day on the Isle of Man in picturespublished at 15:57 BST
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King meets 104-year-old Burma veteranpublished at 15:50 BST
The King has met Burma veteran James Fenton, 104, during his visit to the Heroes On The Water charity.
The organisation, based at Port Soderick Beach, provides kayak angling to wounded military and uniformed members of the public who have been injured whilst on public duty.
The King was also gifted a bell from a retired ambulance.
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The King meets the peoplepublished at 15:37 BST
While his day has been filled with busy engagements, the King has had time to meet the people of the Isle of Man, who came out in their hundreds to enjoy his visit and the blazing sunshine.
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A busy day for the King and the BBC's reporterspublished at 15:30 BST
Kaleigh Watterson
BBC North West Tonight
King meets veterans' charitypublished at 15:24 BST
The King has left Douglas for the beach at Port Soderick to meet members veterans' charity Heroes On The Water.
The charity supports wounded military personnel through outdoor activities like kayaking and angling to promote rehabilitation and wellbeing.
His Majesty will meet the veterans for tea in the charity’s main building.

How often do Royal visits to the Isle of Man happen?published at 15:09 BST
Queen Elizabeth II made five visits to the island during her 70-year reign.
Her first, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, was in 1955 when the Royal couple sailed into Douglas Bay on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.
She then visited in 1972, in 1979 for the Millenium of Tynwald celebrations, in 1989 and finally in 2003.
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Queen Camilla was on the island in 2024 to officially confer city status on the Isle of Man's capital, Douglas.
King Charles last visited the island in 2012, while he was Prince of Wales, as part of the Royal family's tour to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
That followed two previous visits, including one in 2000 when he presided over the open-air Tynwald ceremony in St John's.
The Princess Royal has also made several visits to the island, most recently presiding over the Tynwald ceremony in 2021 and attending a special service of thanksgiving at the refurbished cathedral in Peel three years later.
Bobby the horse pulls King's tram along promenadepublished at 14:54 BST
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Sue Crellin's husband Michael used to work on the horse tramway as the farrier, a job he held for more than fifty years.
"The horses look fantastic today as well, in the nicest colours of the red and yellow."
She was waving the King alongside her daughter Samantha and grandson Stanley.
Bobby, the horse who pulled the monarch's tram out of Strathallan Crescent, has lived at the family's home for several winters.

The King rides the horse tram in picturespublished at 14:47 BST
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King all smiles as he enjoys horse tram ridepublished at 14:40 BST
Alex Blake
Isle of Man political reporter

People come out to see the King and the tramspublished at 14:35 BST
Waving flags she had made at home with her daughters, Margaret said while she had “not quite” been out waiting all day, it had been “long enough to need a seat”.
“I am a royalist and I approve of the institution and everything that's happening with royalty at the moment,” she said.
Her daughter Claire added that she had come out to support her mother, as well as to see the King herself.
“I saw Prince Charles when he came to the island probably about 26 years ago, so I thought I'd come out again today."
Voirrey from Douglas said she had come out to see the King because it “might be the last time I might see a member of the royal family” coming to the island.
She said the horse trams themselves provided an added attraction to the King’s visit.
“I thought it was such a lovely day,” she said, adding: “Why not just take a nice walk on the promenade?”
King sets off on horse tram trippublished at 14:28 BST
Kaleigh Watterson
BBC North West Tonight

King arrives to cheers on Douglas Promenadepublished at 14:25 BST
Excitement grows for King's horse tram ridepublished at 14:19 BST
Kaleigh Watterson
BBC North West Tonight

Why does Douglas have horse trams?published at 14:15 BST
The horse trams, which the King will be riding shortly, celebrate their 150th anniversary this year.
Image source, Reuters
Established in 1876 by Thomas Lightfoot, the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway was opened to capitalise on the island's tourist boom in Victorian times, and continues to serve as a popular attraction.
The 3ft (0.9m) gauge tramway still operates with many of its original cars, and forms part of the island's heritage transport offering alongside the Manx Electric Railway and Isle of Man Steam Railway.
Initially running between Summerhill and Broadway when the tramway officially opened in the summer of 1876, the track was extended to the Sea Terminal the following year.
Although the positioning of the tracks was subject to change as the Douglas seafront evolved, the trams continued to take passengers the full length of the promenade for more than 140 years.
Currently the heritage transport travels between Derby Castle and Broadway – a stretch representing roughly half of the original 1.6 mile (2.6km) tramway.
Read more about the horse trams here.
King shown rare horned sheep breedpublished at 14:11 BST
King Charles was taken to see a pen full of Manx Loaghtan sheep during the garden party at Government House in Onchan earlier.
The rare breed is native to the Isle of Man and renowned for its distinctive horns.
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King hails 'wonderful celebration' of Manx Gaelicpublished at 13:59 BST
Earlier in the day, after opening his address with thanks to the President of Tynwald in Manx Gaelic, the King acknowledged the island’s current year-long celebration of its native tongue.
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Quote Message
I am aware that this year is Manx language year, Blein ny Gaelgey, so I very much hope I have not succeeded at this point in massacring this wonderful celebration in your language.
King Charles III
Large crowds gather for King's horse tram trippublished at 13:56 BST
Josh Cann
BBC Isle of Man
The highlight of the day for everyone - including the King, hopefully - will be a trip on the horse trams in Douglas.
Lots of people have gathered already in the hope of catching a glimpse of the monarch on board.

King arrives for Government House garden party in picturespublished at 13:50 BST
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King 'proud' to continue family tradition of Royal visitspublished at 13:46 BST
Addressing the Manx parliament, the King said it was “a very special moment in history” to take part in the proceedings as “only the second Lord of Mann to do so since this chamber was constructed”.
He said he had “countless fond memories” of presiding over the open-air Tynwald ceremony in St John’s during his last visit in 2012.
However, the King said it was "even more significant to be here now, in Tynwald Court, as Lord of Mann, addressing you all personally, for first time".
Quote Message
As the world's oldest parliament in continuous operation, Tynwald holds a remarkable distinction. This longevity speaks not only to the strength of your institutions, but also to the enduring partnership between the Crown and the people of this island. I cannot help but reflect upon the long association between my family and this ancient parliament.
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Quote Message
My grandfather, King George VI, became the first reigning sovereign for many centuries to preside over the Tynwald Day ceremony. When he visited Ellan Vannin in 1945, his and my grandmother's first sea crossing after VE Day. Ten years later, as a young boy, I accompanied my late mother when she herself came here for the first time as Queen and Lord of Mann. That is a very special memory I have always treasured, and it gives me particular pleasure and a deep sense of continuity to return again to this wonderful island. On this occasion I am proud to be continuing the tradition of visits by my family.
King Charles III
Following the address the King was presented with the scroll of the loyal address, signed by both the President of Tynwald, Laurence Skelly, and Speaker of the House of Keys, Juan Watterson.