His Majesty given a Gray’s Inn tie and joked it was ‘the Inn thing’
King Charles III was yesterday greeted by members of Gray’s Inn and a Corgi as part of an official Royal visit.
The King met with judges, barristers and students at the historic Inn, one of four which have the exclusive right to call budding barristers to the bar of England and Wales.
The monarch was gifted a Gray’s Inn tie to which he quipped it was “the Inn thing”, before noting that it was “terribly helpful to have an extra one to choose from”.
Charles, who has been a royal bencher since 1975, was given a tour by some of the masters of the bench, the Inn’s governing body, which included a stop by a painting of him completed by June Mendoza back in 1979.
Today we had the honour of welcoming His Majesty The King to the Inn. The King met with a small cohort of students, practising barristers, Benchers and staff who represented the people that make Gray’s Inn special.
Read more on our website: https://t.co/lHWywRUYQg pic.twitter.com/hDF4BKhK8r
— Gray's Inn (@HonSocGraysInn) November 23, 2022
He then went on to chat to members of the Inn and was reported to be especially enamoured with a corgi that one of the attendees had brought with them.
Spotted alongside Charles was Dr John Sorabji, a barrister who also teaches at University College London (UCL), who was appointed as the King’s deputy private secretary last month.
The visit coincided with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state visit which led commentators to speculate His Majesty was “demonstrating his personal commitment to the rule of law” by choosing to spend his time in the historic centre of legal London.
Gray's Inn and its members were honoured with a visit from its Royal Bencher, His Majesty King Charles III, this morning. Not just another of work @3VBchambers pic.twitter.com/PySa6S4ZZI
— Can Yeğinsu (@Can_Yeginsu) November 23, 2022
Gray’s Inn treasurer Sir Peter Gross commented that the visit was “of the greatest significance for Gray’s diverse community, together with its key values and activities in education and the Rule of Law, domestically and internationally, including the Commonwealth.”
