Charles will be a ‘wonderful’ King says Salisbury-based former Gurkha aide
King Charles is patron of the Gurkha Welfare Trust
As King Charles III is coronated this weekend, a former aide from Salisbury who served both the new King and Queen Elizabeth II says Charles will be a wonderful King.
Charles is patron of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, which has its head office in the centre of Salisbury.
Major Bishnu Pun, a former Gurkha officer, served the then Prince Charles in His Royal Highness’s Household from 1982 to 1984 and was then selected as a Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officer in 2001. He says the King is “personable and approachable.”
He said: “He understands people’s feelings and he enjoys speaking to the public. He speaks to the public with ease.”
Bishnu, who’s father served in the second World War and was involved in the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, described serving the Royal Family as an “incredible” honour, adding that it was “beyond my dreams”.
When speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Bishnu recounted an off-chance meeting with Charles and Camilla, when they visited Salisbury in 2018, in which Charles described Bishnu as a ‘famous Gurkha’.
“We were standing at the side of the Market Square, and he recognised me from a distance and he came across to say hello, so it was an incredible experience.”
The interaction also saw Charles display his more jovial side:
“He did ask me if my driving skills had improved and I assured him that I now have a very clean driving license for many years, and he laughed!”
Bishnu is a third-generation Gurkha, having joined at the age of 17, serving for 32 years before joining the Gurkha Welfare Trust to help veterans.