King Charles visits Harlem Grown
King Charles made a solo visit to Harlem during his and Queen Camilla’s time in New York City. The monarch arrived at Harlem Grown around 2 p.m. on April 29, 2026, and was welcomed by the nonprofit organization, which runs urban farms and youth programs in the community. Founder and CEO Tony Hillery welcomed The King and guided him through the site with students from Thurgood Marshall Lower Academy.
It was brilliant to see the fantastic work taking place at Harlem Grown, a flourishing network of urban farms supporting children and families in Upper Manhattan.
Starting out as one neglected community garden which was transformed into a thriving space, Harlem Grown has… pic.twitter.com/xPu8CY6LqN— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 29, 2026
A student compliments the King
During the visit, King Charles was shown raised garden beds, a greenhouse, a tool shed, composting areas, chicken coops, and bee hives. But one moment completely stole the spotlight during his visit. It happened when one student gave him an unexpected compliment by saying that they liked his hair. “I like your hair,” the child said. And then King Charles replied warmly with “Do you? Good.” He also showed special interest in feeding the chickens, which was not surprising because he keeps his own in the United Kingdom, with his coop known as Cluckingham Palace.
Before leaving, King Charles gave Harlem Grown honey from bees at Highgrove House, one of his residences. He also greeted people waiting behind a barricade and joked that the street closures connected to his visit may have interrupted normalcy, saying, “I’m sure I’m ruining your day.” While he was in Harlem, Queen Camilla visited the New York Public Library. She celebrated the shared literary connection between the United States and the United Kingdom, along with her charity, The Queen’s Reading Room. Their New York visit followed two days in Washington, D.C. for a scheduled meeting with Donald and Melania Trump.
