If you thought you saw King Charles II wandering around Worcester on Christmas Eve, you weren’t imagining things.
A historian who brings the former king of England to life was in the city to welcome the holiday season.
And Daniel Williams, who in character goes by the name King Charles II Restored, says he had a great time doing it.
Mr Williams, from Sutton Coldfield, first came up with the idea of recreating Charles II in April and by Restoration Day in May - a day that commemorates the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 - was up and running.
He has since made a couple of visits to Worcester - the site of Charles II’s famous escape from Cromwell’s men following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
READ MORE: 'King Charles II' to visit historic Worcester pub on Christmas Eve
That escape is detailed on a plaque outside the historic city pub named after him - the King Charles House in New Street.
Unsurprisingly, the pub was high on Daniel’s list of places to visit in Worcester. He also made a stop at Worcester Cathedral, which was also visited by the real king.
“The day was amazing,” said Mr Williams. “Young and old came to see the king. Great to see young people engaging with history.
“Also, one gentleman from Hungary asked me to do a video back to his family abroad.”
READ MORE: New owners have big plans for historic Worcester pub where King Charles II hid
Daniel also gets requests for videos over Twitter, where he is @KingCharlesIIR, and while at the King Charles House recorded his own Christmas Day message to the nation.
In the short video, King Charles II Restored said: “I’d like to wish all my friends and followers a very merry Christmas to you all.”
A Christmas Day message to the nation from
— King Charles II Restored (@KingCharlesIIR) December 25, 2022
King Charles II Restored at
King Charles house
Worcester. 🌲⭐#CharlesII #KingCharles #History #Christmas #message #Royal #Worcester #Worcestershire #Worcestershirehour #17thCentury @worcesternews @bbchw pic.twitter.com/GV5HxOtp6P
The King Charles House was taken over earlier this year by Darren Young and Barney Reynolds, who have been busy sprucing up the historic boozer.
They’ve been careful to do so while maintaining the character of the old black and white building, which boasts some quirky features.
These include an oubliette - a narrow dungeon with only one escape hatch.
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