Enjoyed high tea at Buckingham Palace: Auto driver Arti Kashyap on meeting King Charles III
The e-rickshaw driver Arti Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich meets King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London
The fact that a 21-year-old e-rickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, earlier this week created quite a stir on the internet. And Arti Kashyap is on cloud nice when she talks to us. “Unka mahal toh bahut hi bada hai. Kabhi socha nahin tha itne bade raja se mil sakte hain, photo khichaana toh door ki baat hai,” says Kashyap, who was in London to receive the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award, which recognises women from across the world who succeed against odds to make an impact in society.

Sharing how the experience of being at Buckingham Palace was she says, “We met King Charles III a day after the ceremony. We were in invited to Buckingham Palace over high tea. Aisa lag raha tha jaise koi sapna dekh rahe hain. At the Palace, we were served Indian tea with biscuits. Mazaa aa gaya jab apne India jaisi chai mili.”
Kashyap was accompanied by 24 other award winners. “But I got the grandest welcome,” she says with a smile, adding, “There was a pink auto that took me to the palace. King Charles III ne jab humse baat ki, bahut achcha laga. While interacting with him it felt like I’ve known him for so long. He was curious to know how the autorickshaw, which took me to the Buckingham Palace, worked — battery or electricity. He asked me about my family, my siblings and hometown. He also asked me to convey his warm regards to my parents.”
