King Charles told the UK’s Eurovision hopeful Mae Muller he will be “egging” her on during the contest – as the Queen Consort said: “No nul points!”
The royal couple, who are busy preparing for their coronations next week, also set off a glittering light show in the Liverpool Arena, which will host Eurovision next month.
They pushed a large button to light up the arena after being counted down by an invited audience.
Eurovision 2023 managing director Martin Green said the King and Queen Consort expressed “interest” in the event, and called the week between the coronation and the song contest’s grand final “the most extraordinary seven days”.
The King and Queen Consort met Muller after they were given a behind-the-scenes tour of Liverpool Arena, which is hosting the semi-finals on 9 and 11 May and the final two days later.
Chatting to the singer, who hopes her track, I Wrote A Song, will end the UK’s 26-year wait for victory, the King gave her encouragement, saying: “We will be watching you with great interest – egging you on.”
Muller replied: “Thank you, no pressure. No nul points.”
Camilla echoed her words, saying: “No! No nul points!”
Eurovision will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, which won the last contest.
It will be the first time the competition has been held in the UK for 25 years.
On the newly unveiled stage, the King and Queen Consort spoke to some of the Eurovision hosts, including Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, Emmy-Award winning actress Hannah Waddingham, and BBC Radio 2 commentators Rylan and Scott Mills.
On the second leg of the royal visit to the city, the couple toured the Central Library to mark its twinning with Ukraine’s Regional Scientific Library in Odesa.
Read more Eurovision news:
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The Central Library will give assistance to its Ukraine counterpart as the country rebuilds following the destruction caused by the invasion by Russia.
A group of anti-royal protesters held “Not My King” banners and booed as the royal party arrived in blazing sunshine, but the jeers were drowned out by cheers as hundreds more well-wishers clapped and waved Union Flags as the royal party arrived.
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The King and Queen Consort then went walkabout, chatting and shaking hands with members of the public.
Once they had entered the library, the couple were presented with sunflowers by children of Ukrainian families settled in Liverpool.
The Queen Consort, seated before a group of local schoolchildren, was treated to a retelling of The Magic Mitten, a Ukrainian folklore tale before an official ceremony to mark the library twinning, in a live videolink up to Odesa.
Appearing on the link, the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, told the royal visitors that the Russian invasion had destroyed hundreds of libraries in Ukraine.
She added: “I’m greatly honoured to be present at this twinning ceremony. I’m thankful of their majesties, the King and the Queen, for their attendance, for the daily friendship and support from them.
“We thank you, Great Britain, for standing with us also on this cultural front line.”
The King said: “I must stay I find it truly terrifying that more than 300 state and university libraries in Ukraine have been destroyed in recent months and our hearts go out to all those so affected and also how much has been lost in this terrible disaster.
“If it is true to say that the limits of our language are the limits of our world, then the role of libraries is something to be treasured greatly.”
