rins charles posed for selfies and team photos with hundreds of athletes for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
The Games open on Thursday and promise to be the UK’s biggest sports festival since the London Olympics a decade ago.
The event opens later in Birmingham at the Alexander Stadium – where the Prince of Wales will be present as the Queen’s representative.
Beforehand, Charles toured the village of key athletes, met sportsmen and women from dozens of countries, and posed for group photos with teams such as Scotland, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and – of course – Wales.
He spent half an hour chatting with competitors, joking with members of the Australian team “the rest are terrified of the Aussies”.
The prince also smiled from the Rwanda team and asked, “good accommodation…food ok?”
He joked with a Team Wales coach: “Do they listen to everything you say to them – I bet they don’t go to bed on time.”
He was harassed by athletes in the village who had waited 30 minutes for his arrival, all eager to take a selfie or livestream to relatives at home.
Many of the countries stamped their team pin badges in his hand, including Pakistan, the Cayman Islands and the Isle of Man squads.
Charles also brought some cheer to the site’s security team when he chose to step through the metal detector’s arch – then set it in motion, before smiling and raising both hands apologetically.
Earlier, Boris Johnson said he was “extremely confident” there would be a legacy of the £778million in taxpayers’ money that went into the games – which are being held as the country faces a cost of living crisis.
The outgoing Prime Minister told the Commonwealth Business Forum in the city of West Midlands: “You can feel the excitement here in this mighty city of Birmingham, as the athletes are already here by the thousands, from 56 countries, 72 countries and territories around the world. ”
He added: “You can already hear the voices in some parts of the media of those who doubt it will all be worth it.
“And people say, can we afford it? Should we have done with the pressure on the cost of living? Will there be a legacy of the £778 million in tax money that went into these Games?
“And now I want you to know that I’m here to tell you that I have every confidence that the answer to that question is yes. A thousand times, yes. I say it because, almost exactly 10 years ago, I remember an identical moment of nerves just before the start of the 2012 London Games.”
Johnson, who was mayor of London at the time of the 2012 Summer Olympics, insisted that they “continue to provide thousands of jobs, growth and regeneration even to this day” in the capital.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries also defended the cost of hosting the event, which had a budget of £778 million funded by the Birmingham Government and City Council.
Ms Dorries rejected claims it was a “vanity project” and emphasized the importance of the Commonwealth as a trade and geopolitical bloc.
Birmingham got the Games after South Africa’s scheduled host Durban withdrew due to financial difficulties.
Ms Dorries told Sky News: “It’s not a vanity project… This is hugely important.
‘You mean we shouldn’t be holding the Commonwealth Games? I think we are proud and honored to have picked up the baton when it was dropped elsewhere in the world and to continue to lead these Commonwealth Games in the great way we have done.
“Everyone here – thousands of people – is extremely proud, including the volunteers who are now behind me, extremely proud of what we do.”
Over the next 11 days, more than 5,000 athletes from 72 countries will compete in 280 events across 19 sports.
In his speech, the prime minister joked that the “whole EU” should become a member of the Commonwealth.
“I think we’ve beaten France consistently. Every time we’ve beaten Germany consistently and more importantly, still, we’ve beaten Australia,” he said.
“And although France and Germany are not members of the Commonwealth, or not yet. Why not? Bring them in. Bring in the whole of the EU. A logical solution.”
Ms Dorries also told LBC: “The city is buzzing, it’s alive. It reminds me of the 2012 Olympics. The feeling in Birmingham and the West Midlands is incredibly upbeat and positive.”
She added: “I think the Commonwealth is more important than ever today, especially given what is happening in Ukraine and with Russia and also with China.”
Later, Charles toured a launch party for the Games in Victoria Square, one of the many venues hosting the Birmingham Festival – a six-month arts, food and culture event for 2.5 million people in the region.
The heir to the throne stopped at a pop-up stall run by Asha’s, an award-winning restaurant in town that has prepared dishes for Hollywood star Tom Cruise, but Charles wasn’t tempted by a table of butter chicken, grilled lamb chops and lamb.
After asking the chef what herbs he’d used, the prince joked, “I don’t have an asbestos mouth.”
He also stopped to talk to Keisha Howe of Ace Dance and Music, who was dressed in an elaborate carnival costume, and she cheekily asked the future king, “Would you ever wear this?”
He replied with a smile, “I don’t think I’m eligible to wear that.”
Charles went for an extended walk, shook hands and chatted with the crowd, including many people – from Somaliland to France – who had traveled to the West Midlands for the Games.
At a nearby hotel, the prince attended a reception attended by the culture minister and high commissioners from across the Commonwealth.