King and Queen help pack food donation boxes at restaurant ahead of Ramadan

The King and Queen have helped pack food donation boxes at an Indian restaurant ahead of Ramadan.

Charles and Camilla met a group of Muslim women at Darjeeling Express, a restaurant in Kingly Court in Soho, central London, on Wednesday, including professional rugby player Zainab Alema and author Hajera Memon.

Ms Memon showed the Queen her pop-up book, which Camilla said was “splendid”.

“This is what children really want, they are very tactile,” the Queen said.

Camilla also greeted a mother and two of her daughters who are being supported by Doorstep, a charity which helps families by providing goods and services to make their lives more comfortable as they await permanent housing.

The youngest child curtsied and the Queen said: “How long have you been practising that? That’s a very good curtsy.”

Meanwhile, the King spoke to artists and businesswomen.

Camilla then helped staff in the all-female kitchen team to pack biryani boxes to donate to Doorstep.

Charles joined Camilla, smelling the food and joking about packing a box up for himself.

“Is it proper basmati rice?” he asked the chefs, who confirmed it was.

The King and Queen also met Masterchef winner and doctor Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed.

“You have to go through the most horrendous criticism (on Masterchef),” the King said to Dr Mahmood-Ahmed.

“The rude things they say. I can never get over it,” he laughed.

“But it teaches you,” said Camilla.

The King and Queen also helped pack dates in small bags to be sent to hospitals during Ramadan.

Ramadan is set to begin on Friday evening and will go on until March 30.

Many Muslims will spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink – including water – during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith.

After sunset, the fast-breaking meal iftar is taken.

Dates are eaten for iftar as it is said the Prophet Muhammad broke his fast with the fruit.

“I didn’t realise the King would be so fast,” Asma Khan, the owner of Darjeeling Express joked as he and Camilla packed the dates.

The King laughed and said: “I don’t waste time.”

Charles and Camilla then unveiled the plaque and Ms Khan thanked the royal couple for their visit.

“It is so significant, it goes beyond this moment and for a lot of us and who you both are,” Ms Khan said.

“It gives us a recognition of the fact that we are valued, we are treasured, we are equal.”

The King then went to meet chef Imad Alarnab at his next-door restaurant Imad’s Syrian Kitchen.

Mr Alarnab is a Syrian chef, entrepreneur and refugee who ran restaurants in Damascus before they were destroyed in the war.

He arrived in London in 2015 and opened Imad’s Syrian Kitchen in early 2020, and on Wednesday hosted the King and British Syrians including film-makers, doctors and charity workers.

The King spoke to Dr Abdulkarim Ekzayez, a health systems expert.

“Presumably your skills are hugely in demand,” Charles said.

As he met more British Syrians making contributions in their community, he added: “It fascinates me, how many people who escaped actually have the most remarkable skills.”

The King also spoke to and congratulated Waad Jarkas, a film-maker who won a Bafta for directing For Sama, a documentary about the female experience of war.

After chatting to the group for a short while, the King greeted crowds waiting to meet him in Carnaby Street.

Speaking after the event, Ms Khan told the PA news agency: “It was euphoric. It was such a joyous gathering. I think everybody felt seen and everybody appreciated the fact that this is unprecedented.

“Darjeeling Express is a Muslim, immigrant business.

“I have an all-female kitchen and I think that for the King to choose to come here before and to be part of the ritual of Ramadan, packing dates, distributing food, this is a very essential part of Ramadan. It was lovely.

“What is so impressive about the King is that his level of knowledge, his interest in art, his interest in history, radiates through.

“This is not superficial. This is deep in his DNA. He understands faiths of every kind.”