King Charles III: 'The coronation is a moment in history'

The King sits on the floor of the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton with Prof Gurch Randhawa during his visit in December

The respect King Charles III holds for different religious faiths has not gone unnoticed in Luton, one of the first places he chose to visit as monarch. As his coronation nears, how do communities here feel about the new King?

The image of King Charles III sitting on the floor of a gurdwara in Luton was a seminal moment for British Sikhs.

The King removed his shoes and donned a Ramaal headscarf to join members of the congregation during prayers.

It was, according to Prof Gurch Randhawa who showed him around, a "huge surprise".

Gurch Randhawa said the King proved he was sympathetic to other faiths with the gesture

"The ethos of the visit was about communities supporting communities," Prof Randhawa says.

"That image of him sitting on the floor truly went viral amongst Sikhs and other faiths because they could see that here is a future King who is really keen to be sympathetic to all faiths and all communities.

"His Majesty the King clearly has chosen to be very visible in recognising and respecting the rituals related to particular faiths."

• Your full guide to how Coronation day will unfold

Prof Randhawa recalls King Charles as "very inquisitive" and found time to speak to hundreds of people who turned up to see him during his visit on 6 December.

"Luton is a hub of community cohesion - it's renowned for communities pulling together," he adds.

"I'm hoping he will be as incredibly respectful of the diversity of the British population and he will want to ensure that all communities thrive and prosper for the future.

"I'm really optimistic."

King Charles speaking to schoolchildren outside the Guru Nanak Gurdwara during his visit in December

'I think he will do a good job'

Volunteer Amarjit Kaur says the King was "very polite" when he met kitchen volunteers during his visit to Luton

Amarjit Kaur, one of the army of volunteers who work at the gurdwara, said King Charles seemed "genuinely interested" in the team.

"I was very surprised and pleased to see him, he was very interested in everything," she says.

Ms Kaur was not able to travel to London to see the coronation but was "happy to see him on the telly".

"I think he will do a good job," she says.

"I think - I hope - he will be a very good King."

'He will be King of all'

Kawaldeep Singh describes the King as "humble and witty"

Kawaldeep Singh also volunteers at the gurdwara and combines it with his work as a public health adviser at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

"I volunteer here every day after work," he says.

"I was volunteering here when the King visited and was in the queue to see him. He's such a great man and he shook my hand.

"He's really humble and really witty as well, he respects everyone.

"I think he will be King of everyone. King of all.

"He is going to follow in the footsteps of our Queen and I feel it is going to be a smooth transition."

'It's a moment in history'

Firoza Abdool-Sathar says the coronation will reflect the King's ever-changing role in society

Firoza Abdool-Sathar is the newly-appointed director of the Centre For Youth and Community Development (CYCD) in the Bury Park area of Luton.

The centre provides support and activities for communities of all ages.

Ms Abdool-Sathar says there is a "concerted effort" to replicate the success of the jubilee celebrations last year, with a "feel good factor in the air".

"It's a moment in history and, more than anything, people are feeling that they want to be part of that history," she says.

"People see this as an event, a celebration, a family day out, with the end of Ramadan and fasting as well."

The Centre for Youth and Community Development in Luton prepares to celebrate the coronation

She says her own father in South Africa remembered the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Kenya, in 1952, when the then princess learned of her father King George VI's death.

"These are key things that people really remember," she says.

"The diaspora around here would welcome him [King Charles]. By embracing and visiting other faiths, there is a lot of respect for him.

"For us, the coronation will reflect the monarch's ever-changing role in today's society, and the way it will be reflected in beliefs, in the hopes and traditions and spiritualty of the moment itself.

"Luton is quite a deprived area - there are lots of people who have struggled hard to raise their families.

"But at the same time this will give them a sense of belonging - that will be a celebration in itself."

The King speaks to soup kitchen volunteers during his visit to Luton