One of the most poignant moments of King Charles III's visit to the Isle of Man came away from the crowds and ceremonial engagements as he sat down with a 104-year-old Second World War veteran.
His Majesty met James Fenton, the last surviving Burma Star recipient living on the island, during a visit to Heroes on the Water at Port Soderick on Tuesday afternoon.
The charity provides therapeutic rehabilitation for armed forces veterans and emergency service personnel through activities including kayaking and kayak angling, promoting both physical recovery and mental wellbeing.
Mr Fenton was the first person the King greeted inside the charity's headquarters, where the pair shared a warm and often humorous conversation reflecting on age, military service and cherished memories.
Opening the conversation, the King said: 'I wasn't expecting to find you here.'
After asking how the veteran was, the monarch joked about the realities of growing older.
'I don't know how you do it. It's bad enough at my age,' the 77-year-old King said. 'You struggle and you have to cope with it, don't you?'
Mr Fenton, who served as a Bombardier with the 178 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery during the Second World War, has become a familiar and respected figure at remembrance events on the Isle of Man.
He is the island's last surviving Burma Star recipient. The Burma Campaign was fought between December 1941 and September 1945, ending with Japan's surrender.
Mr Fenton was in India preparing for an attack on the Japanese mainland when news came that Japan had surrendered on 15 August 1945, bringing the war to an end.
During their conversation, the King asked whether Mr Fenton had visited Heroes on the Water before and joked that if he sat still long enough, volunteers might persuade him to try kayaking.
'They haven't taken you out in that kayak, have they?' he laughed. 'You sit still long enough, they'll take you out.'
The conversation then turned to shared military connections.
Mr Fenton recalled seeing Lord Mountbatten while serving in Singapore, prompting the King to reminisce about attending Burma Star reunions at the Royal Albert Hall with his great-uncle.
'I remember going to the Burma Star reunions at the Albert Hall with my great uncle Lord Mountbatten,' the King said. 'It was the most wonderful... I was patron of the Chindits Association for years, but they're nearly all gone now, sadly.'
Reflecting on Mr Fenton's remarkable longevity, the King added: 'Anyway, thank God you're still there.'
Mr Fenton replied with a smile: 'Oh well, I keep trying.'
The King also noticed the veteran was wearing his distinctive slouch hat, asking: 'You've still got your slouch hat on.'
Mr Fenton explained that he carefully preserved it for special occasions.
'I keep that as long as I can look after it, and it gets packed so carefully away for all occasions,' he said.
As the meeting drew to a close, Mr Fenton described it as 'a very special moment' and asked the King to pass on his regards to Queen Camilla.
The King responded warmly: 'I will, have you danced with her aswell?’
The encounter formed part of the King's final engagement on the island before departing from Ronaldsway following his first official visit as Lord of Mann.