Pat Giles didn’t expect to make history — she just didn’t want to miss it.

But four hours after taking her place along a barricade in downtown Front Royal last Thursday, the Town of Washington resident found herself face to face with King Charles III and Queen Camilla — their first visit to the United States since ascending the throne — close enough, she said, “He could have kissed me.”

The once-in-a-lifetime moment — a handshake, a few exchanged words and a fleeting encounter —  placed Giles, a Front Royal native, among a handful of spectators personally greeted by the king and queen during their historic stop in the rural town.

“I’m still in the clouds,” Giles said this week. “It was a lifetime experience, an historical experience.”

She said that despite “the whole population of Front Royal” being there, “there was no pushing or shoving at all … and people were just so polite. I was impressed with that part for a crowd that size.”

Front Royal — a small, largely rural town at the northern edge of the Shenandoah Valley — is not typically the kind of place associated with international royal tours. That sense of surprise spilled across social media in neighboring Rappahannock County, where small businesses, volunteer fire companies and residents posted AI-generated images imagining the royals making tongue-in-cheek stops around the county. 

In a Facebook post, Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton shared an AI image of the king and queen seated in a Rappahannock Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle, joking that she had not been contacted about any potential visit. 

The king and queen visited Front Royal on the last day of their American tour, which also included a stop at Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a visit to Shenandoah National Park and a trip to Smitten Farm in The Plains.

After security gates opened at 10 a.m., an estimated 5,000 attendees filed into viewing areas set up along a parade route. Tight security and street blockades stretched the line down and around the corner from its origin on Jackson Street, past the courthouse and toward the elementary school.

Despite earlier expectations among some in the crowd, the king and queen did not participate in the parade. Instead, they watched a portion of it from the Front Royal Town Square gazebo alongside Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Front Royal Mayor Lori Cockrell.

The line of people stretched multiple city blocks. Many people arrived before 8 a.m. to get a spot in line. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

The king and queen took part in an invite-only block party inside the gazebo area, which included a meet-and-greet with the Front Royal Little League baseball team, live music and pizza from the popular Melting Pot Pizza.

Tony Elar and Carol Jaworski, dressed in Revolutionary-era military uniforms, said they arrived before 9 a.m. The pair — members of the George Mercer Company, part of the Virginia First Regiment — cleared security around 11 a.m.

“We thought it was only fitting we don our garb,” Elar said.

Kayla Cushman, accompanied by her three children, decided the blocks-long line was too much and turned back. “I wish that they could see the experience,” she said. “It is a point of history.”

Like many in the crowd, Woodville resident Lynnie Genho said simply catching a glimpse of the royals felt like a rare opportunity. “I’m glad we saw them at all,” she said, noting that many spectators farther down the route “probably just saw them drive in” and didn’t get a clear view. 

Jess Border, a representative from the British Embassy, passes out flags to families in line. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

For Genho, the visit carried personal significance — as a teenager, she had a chance encounter with the late Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela when they rode past her in a carriage in London, and she developed an interest in British royalty. The night before the king and queen came to Front Royal, a memory popped up on her phone showing that exactly seven years to the day she had visited Buckingham Palace. That coincidence pushed her to attend. 

“I was like, I am going, darn it,” she said. “What are the odds that they would come 20 minutes away from our house?”

Despite long waits and uncertainty about what they would actually see, Genho said the moment felt worthwhile. “This is not something I’ll ever regret having spent three or four hours standing here,” she said. “This is really a once in a lifetime thing.”

Lynnie Genho and friends getting Fox’s Pizza in line. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)

Town of Washington resident Caroline Anstey, who has dual British and American citizenship, was one of 650 people who attended the British Embassy party in Washington, D.C. on Apr. 27 welcoming the royals to town. Anstey worked with King Charles on environmental issues when he was still a prince. She said she did not get to speak to the king, but exchanged a brief greeting with Queen Camilla. 

“They did a walk about in the garden and mingled with people,” Anstey said, and she added that enthusiasm surrounding the royals is not limited to American crowds, reflecting on similar block party and parade traditions back home in England. 

“Whenever there is an event involving the crown — a wedding, a birth, a big birthday, a wedding anniversary or obviously, coronation — in every village throughout the kingdom, there are street parties … [People] join in, even if the king and the queen aren’t coming,” she said “It’s just something people do.”

After the parade, the king traveled to Shenandoah National Park, where his visit focused on conservation and public lands. Over the course of the visit, the king met with U.S. National Park Rangers, a Fish and Wildlife Service historian, Junior Rangers from Warren County High School, leadership from the Monacan Indian Nation and a bald eagle from the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

“This visit to Shenandoah National Park highlighted America’s natural heritage and connection to their great outdoors and national parks,” Allysah Fox, park spokesperson, said in a statement to the Rappahannock News.