Today marks a year since Charles became King following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Although King Charles has yet to visit Sussex since becoming monarch, he did visit the county on several occasions during his time as Prince of Wales.

Here is a look back at a handful of Charles’s visits to the county over the years.


In a visit to Brighton in 1999, Charles went on a tour of the West Pier to discuss the proposed plans to restore the Grade I listed structure. 

Charles had taken a keen interest in the pier’s restoration and was greeted by boxer Chris Eubank, who had had hopes of funding a renovation of the structure. He was also met by members of the Hanover Band, who played fanfares by Monteverdi and Schmeltzer as he arrived.

At one point, he went within three feet of an unprotected edge of the pier’s pavilion balcony to look at where a rotunda once stood.

The Argus: Charles during his visit to the West Pier in Brighton in 1999Charles during his visit to the West Pier in Brighton in 1999 (Image: Simon Dack)

Charles also stopped along the seafront to talk to two homeless people.

When asked if the future King wanted to buy a copy of The Big Issue, Charles took one and a bodyguard paid £1.

His visit was briefly disrupted by anti-hunt demonstrators who carried banners and shouted at him as he left the West Pier.

Charles is reported to have acknowledged the protesters by raising his safety helmet to them in an ironic but friendly gesture.

The Argus: Charles visiting the William and Patricia Venton Centre in EastbourneCharles visiting the William and Patricia Venton Centre in Eastbourne (Image: Argus archive)

Driving rain did not put Charles off when he visited Eastbourne in 2000 to open a new visitor centre for Age Concern.

Dozens of well-wishers cheered as he arrived by helicopter before being ferried to the William and Patricia Venton Centre in Junction Road.

He paid tribute to the army of volunteers who were to run the centre and said: “Nothing could be possible without these marvellous volunteers who put so much effort in to ensure that these operations are kept running.”

The Argus: Charles taking a look at germinating orchids at the Millenium Seed Bank at Wakehurst in 2000Charles taking a look at germinating orchids at the Millenium Seed Bank at Wakehurst in 2000 (Image: Tony Wood)

A keen gardener, Charles also opened the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst in the same year, which holds millions of seeds to preserve the nation’s botanic heritage.

Charles paid the site another visit in 2019 to catch up on its progress. It has since become the largest wild seed conservation project in the world, with 2.25 billion seeds from 190 countries.

The future King raised a smile on a visit to Chichester Cathedral in 2003, when he asked members of a boys’ choir whether their colleagues’ snoring kept them awake.

During his visit, he joked: “Are you all in dorms? Do you keep each other awake snoring?”

The Argus: Charles was shown around Chichester Cathedral in 2003 by the Dean of Chichester Nicholas FraylingCharles was shown around Chichester Cathedral in 2003 by the Dean of Chichester Nicholas Frayling (Image: Richard Grange)

He was shown the results of a restoration of the cathedral’s south transept in a tour with Nicholas Frayling, who was then dean of the cathedral.

In the same year, Charles went to the South of England show in Ardingly, where he provoked amusement when he mistook a cockerel for a hen.

He tasted three glasses of locally made wine with cheese, including a Dew Pond semi-soft cheese made by Tom Ventham from Forest Row, near East Grinstead.

“He is patron of the British Cheesemakers’ Society so he knows a thing or two about cheese,” Mr Ventham told The Argus at the time.

The Argus: Charles meeting the prize-winning cattle at the South of England show in 2003Charles meeting the prize-winning cattle at the South of England show in 2003 (Image: Simon Dack)

Charles finished his tour by presenting prizes for the top cattle and spoke to members of the public.

Cheering schoolchildren greeted Charles when he switched on a water fountain in the gardens of Arundel Castle in 2008.

He greeted designers and craftsmen involved in a three-year project to create a two-acre garden on a former car park, opened in memory of one of England’s first great art collectors, Thomas Howard 14th Earl of Arundel.

The Argus: Charles in relaxed mood as he toured the garden at Arundel Castle in 2008Charles in relaxed mood as he toured the garden at Arundel Castle in 2008 (Image: Simon Dack)

During a speech, Charles quipped: “On account of the fact my ancestors apparently succeeded in locking up the Duke of Norfolk’s ancestors rather regularly, I do find it even more touching that I should be invited here today to open this remarkable new garden.

“I know how difficult these sorts of ventures can be and how courageous you have to be. Here, we have an example how you can turn what used to be a car park into a garden of beauty, amusement and timelessness.”

Charles and Camilla took a trip to Burwash in 2014 to visit Bateman’s, home to author Rudyard Kipling between 1902 and 1936.

The pair were greeted by children from Burwash Primary School and presented with a signed copy of Kipling’s A Fleet In Being, a series of articles about the British Channel Fleet.

Just months before becoming King, Charles visited the village of Singleton, near Chichester, for a special episode of BBC show The Repair Shop which was filmed between autumn 2021 and spring 2022.

He took two items in need of repair,  an 18th-century clock and a piece of pottery made for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.