King given Lego likeness by 'good neighbours' in Deeside

Lego minifigures of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, with a Scots Guard, outside a scale Lego model of the Albert Hall in Ballater, which were built by Nicola Reid from Ballater Lego Club to mark the royal visit.PA Media

The royal minifigures and a Scots Guard were made using donated Lego collections

The King and Queen have received miniature Lego versions of themselves as they met their "good neighbours" at a community hall in Aberdeenshire.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Albert Hall in Ballater to mark its 150th anniversary.

They were greeted by crowds and music from the Ballater and district pipe band as they arrived on Thursday morning. Charles wore a kilt in his own King Charles tartan.

The area has a long association with the royal family through their residences at Balmoral and Birkhall.

The royal couple were last there in October 2022, when a reception was held to allow the King to thank the community for its support after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles III, who is wearing a brown check tweed jacket and waistcoat with a colourful tie and pocket handkerchief, smiles with his arms outstretched as he meets members of the public during a visit to mark the 150th anniversary of The Albert Hall in Ballater, Aberdeenshire. A railway style sign reading Rothesay Rooms hangs from the wooden arch of the former Royal Railway Station above the small crowd.PA Media

King Charles is said to 'feel totally relaxed in Ballater'

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are among a crowd watching the first performance of a fiddle tune composed by local musician Dr Paul Anderson, who is playing on a stage, during a visit to mark the 150th anniversary of The Albert HallPA Media

Local musician Dr Paul Anderson composed a fiddle tune for the anniversary

During their visit, the royal couple meet some of the community who use the hall.

A display of music and dance included the first performance of a fiddle tune composed by local musician Dr Paul Anderson for the anniversary.

A framed copy of the score was presented to the monarch by Gordon Riddler, chairman of the Victoria and Albert Halls Trust.

King Charles III, who has white hair and is wearing a brown tweed jacket, is presented with the framed score of a fiddle tune by Gordon Riddler, who also has white hair and is wearing a blue/green tweed jacket and a blue shirt with tartan tie. PA Media

The King was presented with a framed fiddle score

"People in Ballater call them good neighbours, because that's what they are," Mr Riddler said.

"Birkhall is only three miles away and that's where he spends most of his time.

"They feel totally relaxed in Ballater because people talk to them as if they're neighbours."

Mr Riddler added that before Charles became King, he would sometimes drive into the village while staying in Aberdeenshire, though such impromptu visits were not possible with his new role.

Nicola Reid, from Ballater Lego Club, is wearing a black dress and coat and has short purple hair. She is sitting next to a model of the Albert Hall made for the anniversary using Lego bricks.

Nicola Reid led the local Lego club's efforts to recreate the hall in brick form

A close up of King Charles holding Lego minifigures of the King and Queen, with a Scots Guard, built by Ballater Lego Club to mark the 150th anniversary of the Albert Hall.PA Media

A representation of 'your majesties' was handed to the King

Nicola Reid, the leader of Ballater Lego Club, was there to showcase a scale model of the hall built to mark the anniversary with bricks donated to the group.

For the royal visit, she added minifigures representing King Charles III and Queen Camilla with a Scots Guard, meeting a model of herself in a black wheelchair.

"This took weeks to do, it was a lot of work," Nicola told the Queen, who described it as "fantastic".

"With very limited pieces and very limited time, I made a representation of your majesties," she said as she handed the minifigures to the King.

Ms Reid said afterwards that the model was a "labour of love" and the royals had seemed to "really like" the figure set.

She added: "He seemed quite impressed - he might treasure it."

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