A Carlisle man has told of his ‘surreal’ experiences while attending the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Saturday.

Chris Armstrong set up Carlisle Covid mutual aid during the pandemic which delivered a variety of services for people who were struggling including food shopping, delivering medicine, and sending out care packages.

For his charity work, Chris received a British Empire Medal (BEM).

News and Star: Chris preparing to go into Westminster AbbeyChris preparing to go into Westminster Abbey (Image: Chris Armstrong)Chris was one of just 2,000 inside Westminster Abbey for King Charles’ historic coronation – the first since the late Queen’s coronation in 1953.

The congregation included world leaders, members of the royal family, major celebrities, members of the armed forces and charity workers.

“I got dropped off by my sister’s boyfriend, went through security checks and there I was. I was in the area with world leaders and major celebrities which was just surreal,” said Chris.

“When I got into the abbey, I showed my ticket, and they told me to sit wherever I wanted so I could’ve been on the front row if I got there early enough.

“Chris Whitty – the chief medical officer – was right in front of me, Ant and Dec were the other side of the pillar to me, and Katie Perry was just a few rows down from me.”

News and Star: Chris' view from his seat with former PM David Cameron arriving for the serviceChris' view from his seat with former PM David Cameron arriving for the service (Image: Chris Armstrong)Chris given his BEM in the late Queen’s last ever birthday honours list and was selected to attend the coronation in her memory.

On the way out of the service, Chris had a conversation with TV legends Ant and Dec about their love of Newcastle United and their conversation led to Dec facetiming Chris’s girlfriend, Leah.

“We could see through to where the King was but whilst the ceremony was going on the best thing to see was TV they put in around the abbey,” said Chris.

“The atmosphere was just unbelievable – when we sang ‘God save the King’ at the end it was just special.

“I just kept on thinking as I was sitting there... what am I doing here? I’m just a normal guy from Carlisle!”

Despite a weekend mixing with some of the most famous faces on the planet, it's back to work and ‘dad duties’ for courier Chris after his ‘mind-blowing’ weekend.