King jokes with patients as he opens Smethwick hospital

King Charles III has officially opened a new hospital in the West Midlands, meeting staff and patients amid crowds of well-wishers.

Onlookers waved flags and cheered the King as he arrived at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, a 736-bed site in Smethwick.

The monarch joked with hospital patients about the challenges of getting older, telling one woman “bits don’t work so well when you get past 70”.

The visit was rearranged from March, when it was cancelled due to side-effects from his cancer treatment.

A crowd of hundreds of patients, staff and medical students cheered, clapped and took selfies as the King stopped to speak to people.

Chairman of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust Sir David Nicholson said it was a “tremendous honour” to have the King unveil a plaque marking the official opening.

Sir David Nicholson, chairman of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said it was a “tremendous honour” to have the King unveil a plaque marking the official opening.

He said: “This is a day of immense pride, not just for those of us who have been part of this project since its inception, but the entire community that will benefit from this world-class facility for generations to come.”

After his visit to the ward, the King met the first baby to have been born at the hospital after it opened its doors on October 6 last year and her parents, Semhar Tesfu and Yonas Kflu, from Perry Barr.

Hernata Yonas arrived at 08:48 BST, just 90 minutes after the maternity ward opened its doors for the first time.

He also met Elsie Kudozie, whose baby Eyanna was born just two days ago.

Earlier in the day, the King toured the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Birmingham, following the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

While there, he looked at historic items in the library and the cardinal’s personal effects in his room, which has not been touched since his death in 1890.