King Charles was surrounded by cheering teenagers during a visit to the inspirational BRIT School in south London today.
Hundreds of enthusiastic creative arts students gathered outside the school, shouting his name as police officers worked to prevent the crowd from pressing too closely around him.
“Yes, boss!” one student called out, prompting a laugh from Charles. Another shouted: “King Charles, oh my days!”
The King is celebrating his 78th birthday with a series of engagements highlighting talent and community in Croydon. He will mark his actual birthday tomorrow with a private celebration.
His first stop was the internationally recognised BRIT School, whose former pupils include Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland and RAYE. The school has also helped launch the careers of thousands of performers, designers, technicians, producers and other creative professionals across the UK.
The BRIT School is a state-funded, non-fee-paying institution for students aged 14 to 19, with a specialist focus on the creative arts.
Fashion students welcomed the monarch with an impromptu catwalk presentation, featuring an inflatable “lifeboat dress” among the eye-catching designs.
King Charles was surrounded by cheering teenagers during his visit to the inspirational BRIT School in south London
Hundreds of creative arts students gathered outside, chanting the King’s name as officers struggled to keep the crowd back. One shouted, “Yes, boss!”, while another called, “King Charles, oh my days!”
The King is marking his 78th birthday with engagements celebrating talent and community in Croydon before privately celebrating his birthday tomorrow
Charles later watched what was described as a powerful performance by students Daisy and Fatima, exploring youth-on-youth crime. Afterwards, he spoke to them about the community projects they are involved in.
Their work formed part of Blue Lights, an Applied Theatre project that uses performance to help young people examine issues affecting their communities and reflects the school’s belief that creativity can drive positive change.
The King also reunited with his longtime friend Lord Lloyd Webber, a dedicated supporter of the school who joined him for a performance from the musical Chess.
“It’s amazing who you find lurking in these corridors,” Charles joked.
After the performance, he praised the students as “so energetic and impressive”, adding: “You must have a good choreographer.” When he made a point of shaking their hands, the group responded with a collective “awww”.
In the digital suite, the monarch was introduced to the range of skills taught at the school, including animation and game design. However, he suggested that at his age he might prefer to remain focused on watercolours.
A flash-mob medley then filled the lower level of the building. Clearly impressed, Charles asked the students how they managed to remember all the choreography.
Outside, the size of the crowd chanting his name persuaded the King to step closer, where he shook hands and asked students about the courses they were studying.
One boy could be heard excitedly announcing that he had shaken hands with the monarch.
“You’ll be shaking his car’s wheels as well if you don’t stand back,” a member of staff warned him.
“I don’t care, I’ll die happy!” the student replied.
Charles met his longtime friend Lord Lloyd Webber, a longstanding supporter of the school, before watching a performance from Chess
Charles began his visit at the world-famous BRIT School, whose alumni include Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland and RAYE, as well as thousands of creative industry professionals
The King, pictured with Education Secretary Lucy Powell, watched a powerful performance by students Daisy and Fatima about youth-on-youth crime
Fashion students welcomed the King with an impromptu catwalk show featuring an inflatable “lifeboat dress”
Charles watched Daisy and Fatima perform a piece about youth-on-youth crime before discussing their community projects with them
Charles praised the students as “so energetic and impressive”, telling them: “You must have a good choreographer”
Established in 1991, the BRIT School was created to make the creative industries more accessible. Its guiding principle is that talent and ambition, rather than a person’s background, should determine opportunity.
Following previous visits by Queen Camilla, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry, Charles was shown the breadth of work taking place across the school, from fashion, theatre and dance to digital arts, gaming and visual effects.
The school’s Production Arts pathway has consistently recorded some of its strongest graduate employment results, reflecting the creative sector’s demand for highly trained backstage and technical specialists.
In 2025, 99 per cent of students moved into higher education, training or employment within three months of graduating.
Students can specialise in disciplines including Visual Arts & Design, Production Arts, Applied Theatre, Dance, Music, Musical Theatre, Theatre and Digital Arts.
Lord Lloyd Webber said: “My great passion is getting music into schools — and into more schools. People know the BRIT School for its famous performers, but it offers so much more. The first time I came here, I was completely blown away.
“It’s extraordinary to see everyone learning every conceivable discipline. The brilliant thing is that the school teaches performing arts, but also sound, design, costume-making and much more.
“People don’t realise that live performance is the lifeblood of this country. It is far bigger than movies. Britain is doing something extraordinary and bucking the trend.
“In America at the moment, there are very few new shows opening on Broadway because it has become so expensive to produce anything there.
“I’m thrilled that this country is leading the way. It’s genuinely thrilling.”
The King is pictured walking alongside BPI Chair YolanDa Brown during his visit to the BRIT School
The BRIT School’s Production Arts pathway continues to deliver strong graduate employment results, reflecting the creative industries’ need for skilled backstage and technical professionals
A flash-mob medley marked the King’s visit, after which he asked the students how they remembered all the choreography
In the digital suite, Charles learnt about the school’s animation and gaming courses before joking that he might stick to watercolours at his age
Charles watched Daisy and Fatima perform a piece about youth-on-youth crime before speaking to them about their community work
Discussing the potential impact of artificial intelligence, Charles said he believed the arts would continue to thrive. “You’ve got to remember that AI is a data-processing machine, so it is only as good as the information people put into it.
“It is never going to produce something truly original on its own. There will be areas where it is fantastic and others where it is dangerous.
“I was with Lin-Manuel Miranda the other night, who wrote Hamilton, and we were asking whether AI would have come up 10 or 12 years ago with the idea of taking a minor founding father of America and telling his story through hip hop.
“Would AI have suggested 40 years ago taking T.S. Eliot’s poems about cats and turning them into a musical? No, is the answer.
“AI has incredible uses, but it will never create something truly, truly original, because that is what human beings do.”
BRIT School principal Stuart Worden said the King’s visit was deeply meaningful for the students. “I think it’s inspiring. This is a school that is underfunded, in a time when the arts are not always fully appreciated. It is amazing that the King values the school, young people and the arts.
“We do not always value the arts or young people enough in this country. For the head of state to visit this school in Selhurst is inspiring. It shows these students that they have been seen and that they matter.
“We raise £3 million a year because of the gap between the funding the government provides and what the school needs to keep all these facilities free.
“I hope today has made a significant impact.
“This is life-changing for these young people. Many come from challenging backgrounds and cannot afford guitars, but they are provided free here. They cannot afford dance lessons, yet those are free here too.
“For students from those backgrounds to have access to the monarch, the King, is incredibly powerful.”
