King Charles and the Queen Consort to visit Colchester

King Charles and the Queen Consort will visit Colchester next month as part of celebrations of city status

King Charles and the Queen Consort are to visit Colchester as part of celebrations to mark its city status.

Colchester, previously known as Britain's oldest recorded town, was made a city by the late Queen Elizabeth to mark her Platinum Jubilee in May.

It was one of eight places granted the status and the Royal couple will meet charities and community groups on Tuesday, 7 March.

Mayor Tim Young said the visit would be "a proud moment for Colchester".

Colchester was the Roman capital of Britain and previously billed as "Britain's oldest recorded town"

The Royal couple will meet charities and community groups

David King, Liberal Democrat leader of Colchester City Council, said: "We are delighted that The King and Queen Consort are able to join us in celebrating Colchester as a modern city.

"We look forward to introducing them to an array of charities and community groups that help make our city such a wonderful place to live, work and visit."

The county of Essex now has three cities.

Chelmsford gained its title in 2012 and Southend-on-Sea became a city last March following the death of Conservative MP Sir David Amess who had championed the cause for many years.