King Charles and a Pair of Garden Shears Played a Joke on This '70s Rock Star
The monarch showed off his sense of humor at an event in Scotland.


The King's Foundation is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, King Charles held a special reception with some of the organization's ambassadors at Dumfries House in Scotland on Wednesday, Jan. 15—including Rod Stewart, who was subjected to a prank by His Majesty.
The rock star, 80, and wife Penny Lancaster, 53, have been named as the newest ambassadors for The King’s Foundation, and the couple joined British gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh at the event. Stewart and Lancaster watched on as The King placed items into a time capsule that will be filled with various items throughout the charity's 35th year—and one of them was a pair of gardening shears.
In a video shared by the Royal Family Channel on YouTube, the monarch pointed the tool at Stewart with a laugh as the "Maggie May" singer covered his face with his hands and flinched. King Charles kept laughing as he placed the garden secateurs in a wooden crate, taking a letter from a staff member and proclaimed he'd "bury that at the bottom."
Stewart playfully jumped back when The King snipped the shears at him.
Titchmarsh (far left), Lancaster and Stewart chatted with The King at Dumfries House.
Stewart has long been associated with the Royal Family. The "Downtown Train" singer has been a supporter of The King's Trust (formerly named The Prince's Trust) for years, and he performed at Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Sir Rod Stewart was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2016.
He joins fellow celebrity ambassadors David Beckham and Sienna Miller at The King's Foundation, which, per its website, gives "over 15,000 students every year the chance to learn practical skills, rooted in nature and tradition, that help them play an active role in their communities."
King Charles kept the laughs coming in Scotland on Jan. 16, sharing plenty of smiles with staff at charity The Gate, which helps those impacted by homelessness and food insecurity. He also met with representatives from organizations who have been presented with the King's Award for Voluntary Service or Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, including Forth Valley Welcome, Homestart Clackmannanshire and Breathe Easy.
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.
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