King plays recorder made from a carrot
The King was described as 'jolly' and 'in great spirits' by guests as he played a recorder made out of a carrot at a music reception at Windsor Castle.
King Charles returned to official public duties after a brief stay in hospital for temporary side effects from his cancer treatment, which forced him to cancel a string of engagements at the end of last week.
The King welcomed musicians to Windsor Castle on Thursday for a reception celebrating community music, having returned to state business on Monday after a restful weekend.
The London Vegetable Orchestra, the UK's only ensemble to use instruments made of local vegetables, played for the King in St George's Hall and let him have a turn on one of their carrot recorders for a rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
April Koyejo-Audiger, a soprano who has performed with the Royal Opera, said King Charles joked to her in passing that 'he hopes they eat the carrots because he wouldn't want any food to go to waste'.
King Charles also met guests in the castle's Waterloo Chamber to watch performances by the Royal College of Music, the Sing for Freedom choir and British saxophonist YolanDa Brown, who said the King told her he 'felt the joy of the performance'.
Alan Livingstone, who is a breakfast DJ at All FM, a community radio station in Manchester, said: 'He was in great spirits, jolly and laughing and joking.
'That cheeky smile when you hold his hand. He is so genuine.
'I was speaking with him about how I only started DJing late in life and he said it is wonderful and how great it is that I enjoy it.'
Mr Livingstone, 66, was a Royal Mail manager before becoming a DJ aged 64.
Discussing the King's return to state business, Mr Livingstone said: 'Amazing that he makes the effort. What an incredible man, to do all this and encourage people to do good work in the community.'
Nazli Erdogan, a viola student at the Royal College of Music, said: 'It is amazing, his sense of duty. You could just be in bed.'
During the reception, the Royal Opera House Songs for Ukraine chorus – a choir made up of Ukrainian singers displaced by the war – sang from the balcony.
Bohdan Parashchak, the conductor of the chorus, said: 'We talked about how when you can do something like this, just a few hours a week is like a kind of healing.'
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