Joan Armatrading says the Queen and King Charles have ‘very similar traits’

The singer-songwriter has worked with the new monarch’s charity The Prince’s Trust for four decades

Joan Armatrading, the singer-songwriter who has worked with The Prince’s Trust charity for more than 40 years, has said that the Queen and King Charles III have “very similar traits”.

Armatrading, who became a trustee of the charity in 2020, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning (15 September) to discuss her encounters with the royals.

“He’s very down to earth,” she said of King Charles. “I’ve met the Queen a few times, they’ve got very similar traits. They are both very approachable. There are people around them to say, ‘Don’t do that,’ but they’ll invite you in.”

She added: “The King is very interested in talking to people, he wants knowledge… [him and the Queen] are really interested in people, the world.”

Armatrading was made MBE by the former prince in the 2001 Birthday Honours and CBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music, charity and equal rights.

The Prince’s is a UK charity founded in 1976 by Charles III (then the Prince of Wales), to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track.

It supports 11 to 30-year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion.

Guards escort the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Armatrading’s comments come as the queue of mourners waiting to see the Queen’s coffin reaches two miles in length.

Follow the latest updates following the death of Queen Elizabeth II here