In pictures: King meets patients and staff as he opens hospital

King Charles pulls a purple cloth from a black glass plaque saying NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham. Welcome to the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. The plaque is partially obscured by the cloth. He is in a lobby area with glass screens behind him and looking to the left. He is wearing a grey suit and pink tie. — Image caption,
King Charles III unveils a plaque as he officially opens the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH), in Smethwick

Susie Rack

BBC News, West Midlands

3 September 2025

King Charles III has officially opened a new hospital in the West Midlands, meeting staff and patients amid crowds of well-wishers.

Onlookers waved flags and cheered the King as he arrived at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, a 736-bed site in Smethwick.

The monarch joked with hospital patients about the challenges of getting older, telling one woman "bits don't work so well when you get past 70".

The visit was rearranged from March, when it was cancelled due to side-effects from his cancer treatment.

Female medical students in black scrubs stand behind a black tape, facing the King. He is shaking hands with a woman with long blonde hair while crowds of medical staff look on. — Image caption,
The King was greeted by medical students

A crowd of hundreds of patients, staff and medical students cheered, clapped and took selfies as the King stopped to speak to people.

Chairman of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust Sir David Nicholson said it was a "tremendous honour" to have the King unveil a plaque marking the official opening.

Three levels of glass walkways viewed from ground level inside an internal atrium, each lit by spotlights, with crowds looking down onto the King on the ground level as he chats to groups of people. — Image caption,
Staff, visitors and patients line the walkways to see the King during his visit

Sir David Nicholson, chairman of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said it was a "tremendous honour" to have the King unveil a plaque marking the official opening.

He said: "This is a day of immense pride, not just for those of us who have been part of this project since its inception, but the entire community that will benefit from this world-class facility for generations to come."

A woman with tied-back black hair and a grey and white checked jacket is holding a baby in a salmon-coloured outfit who is grabbing her nose. The King is smiling at them from the right. Behind, a crowd of people are taking pictures. — Image caption,
The King met Hernata Yonas, the first baby born at the hospital last October

After his visit to the ward, the King met the first baby to have been born at the hospital after it opened its doors on October 6 last year and her parents, Semhar Tesfu and Yonas Kflu, from Perry Barr.

Hernata Yonas arrived at 08:48 BST, just 90 minutes after the maternity ward opened its doors for the first time.

He also met Elsie Kudozie, whose baby Eyanna was born just two days ago.

The King chats to a woman sitting on a blue sofa, wearing red pyjamas and a brown headscarf. She is holding an infant who has a hat and a blanket draped across her. The King is beaming as he leans down to chat to the woman, who is also smiling. A man in a suit and a nurse smile as they look on, while crowds of hospital staff stand behind black tape. — Image caption,
King Charles met Elsie Kudozie, whose baby Eyanna was born on Monday

Earlier in the day, the King toured the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Birmingham, following the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

While there, he looked at historic items in the library and the cardinal's personal effects in his room, which has not been touched since his death in 1890.