Luton Borough Council

06/12/2022 - Luton welcomes His Majesty The King

The people of Luton today gave His Majesty The King a colourful and enthusiastic welcome on his first visit to Bedfordshire as monarch, and one of his first regional visits in England.

He met community leaders and volunteers in the Town Hall then boarded the Luton DART fast passenger transit for a journey to London Luton Airport.

His Majesty also visited the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara, speaking to volunteers and learning about the programmes they deliver for the local community.

Mayor of Luton Councillor Sameera Saleem said: “It was a great honour to welcome His Majesty The King to Luton to experience our town’s rich diversity and compassionate communities which make our town so special. It was lovely to see so many people from the different backgrounds that make up our wonderful town, come together to welcome His Majesty.

“We are so proud that The King got to meet local community groups who demonstrate every day that care and compassion are at the core of Luton’s ethos, talking about how the community always steps forward to support those who need help and the wide range of work that takes place to build cohesion across our town.”

His Majesty received a vibrant and warm welcome outside the Town Hall in George Street and spoke to local residents and community groups, including representatives from The Ghana Society, Royal British Legion, the Luton Town Football Academy and local veterans and cadets. The King also had the opportunity to listen to singing from the St Matthew’s Primary School Choir and music from the Luton Sixth Form Music Performance Group, before going into the Town Hall to meet people from local voluntary, faith and community organisations.

His Majesty waved to the crowd from the balcony of the Town Hall before unveiling a plaque to commemorate his visit. He was presented with a gift of Luton Honey, courtesy of Colin Hall of the Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association.

His Majesty The King also visited Luton DART Parkway Station, learning about the new cable-drawn mass passenger transit system which will connect Luton Airport Parkway rail station to London Luton Airport in just over three minutes. He met apprentices who worked on the DART as well as voluntary and community organisations that have received funding from Luton Rising, the council’s airport company.

His Majesty travelled on the DART and met workers from London Luton Airport including vaccination volunteers and the Ukrainian Welcome Hub Team.

The DART not only makes travel to and from London Luton Airport quicker and smoother but will have a significant environmental benefit by helping attract more passenger traffic to rail rather than road.