He is known to be a big fan of Land Rovers and King Charles was certainly impressed by a miniature version he saw while heading to church at Sandringham this morning.
On his way to a service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the royal estate, the monarch stopped to chat to brothers William and Oliver Ward, aged six and three, who were riding the distinctive vehicle.
The King looked amused as he spotted the pair and went over to speak with them, and parents Simon, 45, and Georgina, 35, who had joined other wellwishers outside the church.
A police officer was also pictured issuing the boys' vehicle - with the number plate WI44IAM, looking like 'William' - a mock parking ticket following the interaction.
READ MORE: Royals delight hundreds of fans with walkabout after Christmas service
It was made by Mrs Ward’s father-in-law, Chris Ward, and has a number plate which reads “William”.
“It was a very surreal experience,” said Mrs Ward, a nurse, who lives with her family in East Winch,
“We went to see (Charles) go in and we weren’t planning on seeing him come out, but because he made such a beeline for the Landy to start with, we thought we had to go back and show him it.
“He came back and was asking questions about whether it was handmade and whether it ran, whether it used a pedal and if we’d crashed into any trees.”
She said the boys were “a bit shell-shocked” to meet the King, but it was a “very special moment for them”.
She added: “We go out with it most Sundays, so it just made sense to take it today and show the King.”
The monarch has owned several Land Rovers in the past few decades and his late father Prince Philip was particularly fond of the 4x4s.
The then-Duke of Edinburgh had spent 16 years working on his custom-made Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab - which was used to carry his coffin at his funeral in April 2021.
The king and other members of the royal family have been spending Christmas and new year at the Sandringham estate, continuing a long tradition.
The appearance on Christmas Day, as they headed to church, drew hundreds of wellwishers.
The King, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, received flowers and gifts from many of those present, some of whom queued from as early as 4am.
Royal fans were treated to the sight of the Prince and Princess of Wales walking hand in hand with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis from Sandringham house on their way to St Mary Magdalene Church.
The late Queen used to stay in Norfolk until after February 6 - the day on which her father passed away at the age of 56 on the estate in 1952, after which the 25-year-old Princess acceded to the throne.
But the King is expected to break with this tradition and travel to Scotland shortly to spend some time at Birkhall, on the Balmoral Estate in the Cairngorms National Park.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here