King Charles looked relaxed as he went hiking in Transylvania today on his private solo trip to Romania.
It is believed the king, 74, will remain in the country for five days during the visit, which is his first overseas visit since the coronation last month.
And while the monarch is taking a break from official engagements in the UK, he marked the first day of his trip earlier this week with a formal bilateral meeting.
Charles met with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the capital Bucharest on Thursday, followed by a reception, during which he gave a speech praising the country for culture, art, heritage, history, vast landscapes and its biodiversity.
After official business, the king was caught looking more casual today, walking through the village of Valea Zalanului, Szeklerland in Transylvania, where he owns a private estate.
King Charles seemed relaxed as he walked through Valea Zalanului, a village some 250km north of Bucharest where he owns a private estate
The king, who has owned a private estate in Transylvania in Bucharest since the late 90s, praised the country
King Charles bought the estate in the village, which is some 250 km north of Bucharest, in the late 1990s and has visited it regularly ever since.
The king wore a short-sleeved blue shirt and light beige slacks and carried a cane on his walk today.
He looked casual, wearing sunglasses to shield his eyes from the glare of the bright sun, and binoculars slung around his neck.
During the walk, Charles was accompanied by a group and was seen talking to them, gesturing animatedly with his hands.
The monarch arrived at the estate yesterday and was greeted by the locals, who presented him with flowers.
He was pictured smiling as he shook hands with members of the public outside the gates of the estate.
The king has several ties to Romania.
His maternal great-great-grandmother, Klaudia Rhedey, was born and raised in the Transylvania region.
King Charles was accompanied by a group of people today as he went for a walk in the Transylvanian village
The king (pictured) is thought to spend five days in Romania, marking his first overseas visit since coronation last month
Since his first visit to Romania 25 years ago, he has developed a close relationship with the country.
In 2015, he founded the Prince of Wales’ Foundation Romania, which offers heritage conservation training to both local people and international students.
And last year he traveled to Bucharest to visit a donation center for Ukrainian refugees and chat with those who had fled the Russian invasion of their homeland.
He owns a number of properties in Romania’s Transylvania region, including a vacation rental — which his foundation helps fund — and a 17th-century farmhouse, which serves as the foundation’s headquarters, both in the village of Viscri.
The royal family arrived at his estate in Valea Zalanului (pictured) yesterday, where he greeted locals
Smile: Charles seemed to beam as a local woman (pictured) handed him flowers when he arrived at his estate in Transylvania
A number of locals came to greet the king outside his estate, which he has visited regularly since buying it in the late 1990s.
During his speech on Thursday, the king openly expressed his admiration for the country and its people.
He said, “As I have said before, I have come to love Romania – your culture and art, your heritage and history, your vast landscapes and priceless biodiversity, this ‘tara de gloria, tara de dor’ (land of glory, land of desire), if I may paraphrase your national poet Mihai Eminescu.
‘Romania has managed to preserve an incomparable wealth of nature in its ancient forests, untouched nature and through some remarkable examples of sustainable agriculture.
‘But most of all I cherish my Romanian friends here.
“I am deeply grateful to many people in this audience for their kind assistance on so many occasions and for supporting projects that are doing so much good in communities across the country.”