07-05-2025
King Charles switches up his commute as he takes an Uber boat along the River Thames
The King undertook a royal first on Wednesday - hopping on a hybrid Thames Clippers ' Uber boat' for his commute to work.
His Majesty, 76, looked delighted with the variation from his State Bentley on a sunny, although slightly gusty, day in London with the famous skyline including the Houses of Parliament behind him.
He arrived on the floating pier at Westminster with minimal fanfare, where he undertook a short meet and greet with executives accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of London, Sir Kenneth Olisa.
'Am I going to get into the right boat? There are so many to choose from,' Charles joked, as he walked past another full of commuters and tourists just departing.
On board the battery-powered ' Mars Clipper' he was introduced to employees and apprentices during his ten minute journey to the Thames Tideway Tunnel project.
On route, he learnt more about the positive impact the hybrid vessel - one of three in the fleet - has on London's water artery.
Uber Boats serves 24 piers across the capital in 10-20 minute intervals and Thames Clippers has been heavily investing in hybrid and hydrogen-powered vessels.
'It's a nice way [to travel],' said the monarch, admiringly.
'Is this just one of a number of these vessels?'
Smoothing his hair and admiring the view as they powered along the water, the King chatted enthusiastically about the new technology that powered the fleet.
As it pulled into dock he remarked: 'Fantastic,' and then, spotting Sir Ken disembarking with him dressed in his full formal finery he said: 'Take care your spurs don't caught in that!'
The second part of his visit took him to the Thames Tideway Tunnel project - known as London's 'super sewer' - at Bazalgette Embankment.
Following ten years of construction the 25km-long sewer has now been switched on to protect the River Thames and was officially opened by the king.
The new system can store the equivalent of 640 Olympic swimming pools of sewage and has already captured more than six million tonnes of storm sewage since February.
The original Victorian system was designed for a population of just four million and while still in workable condition, has struggled to cope with population growth and rainfall caused by climate change.
Accompanied by the Secretary of State for Environment, Steve Reed, Charles toured the site and viewed a live tracker displaying the tonnage of sewage taken by the tunnel.
On the Uber boat, he learnt more about the positive impact the hybrid vessel - one of three in the fleet - has on London's water artery
'Are you going to finish it and then do something else?' asked the King.
He also met with some of the 25,000-strong construction workforce who have been involved in the project, which is still ongoing.
He patted one man on the arm as he told him his family was back in India. 'They are all well, I hope? he asked.
'Have you got the crane?' he asked another.
The King also walked through a 'mini park' planted for the local community and visitors including 71 trees and 3,000 plants.
Standing by several giant ventilation funnels for the sewer inscribed with poetry, Charles viewed the vista admiringly.
Andy Mitchell, CEO of sewer builders Tideway, then invited him to unveil a plaque commemorating his visit.
He said: 'It's taken over ten years of work from an awful lot of people to get where we are now. It's a huge feat of engineering, something we are very proud of. We have created a lot jobs, new spaces and a cleaner river along the way. We hope what we have done here will show to others what can be done.'
Afterwards he added: 'The king was fascinated with detail and the quality of the space, as well as the humanity of it with all the planting. The team were absolutely thrilled with his comments on the quality of the work here. In an average year there are 40 million tonnes [of sewage] and we will be preventing the vast majority of that from going into the river.'
Charles greeted poet Dorothea Smartt, whose poetry about the Thames is printed on the ventilation columns on the new tunnel.
The King is known for his love of nature and passion for bringing about conversations about climate change, first speaking about the dangerous effects of plastic pollution on the environment when he was 21 years old in 1970.
In 2023, he famously said that the 'world does not belong to us' at Cop28 in Dubai, adding that his grandchildren, Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie would be living with the effects of our warming planet.
Tideway say that everyone it rains, its high-tech computers calculate how much sewage is filling the tunnel network instead of spilling into the river.
This month, the new super sewer was connected to the Lee Tunnel, which has been operation since 2016 and runs from Stratford to East Ham, completing the full London Tideway Tunnel network.
The new tunnel will protect the Thames from sewage pollution, with Tideway data showing that a whopping 6,790,231 cubic meters of dirty water has been diverted away from the river since August 2024.
The monarch beamed as he spoke with Sir David Attenborough while the pair posed for pictures together on Tuesday evening
This visit comes after Charles attended the world premiere of Sir David Attenborough 's new documentary - Ocean - on Tuesday evening.
The royal, 76, was suited and booted for the special event and looked dapper in his black tux as he stepped out at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Charles was seen greeting people and waving at wellwishers as he made his way down the blue carpet.
The monarch also beamed as he spoke with Sir David while the pair posed for pictures together.
The legendary environmental broadcaster, 98, has his latest documentary which releases on his 99th birthday on Thursday.
The King and Sir David are thought to have a close relationship, as the presenter was also good friends with his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth.
