Charles is “emotional” as he meets relatives affected by the earthquake in Syria

King became visibly emotional on Tuesday as he visited a pop-up support center for Syrians which were affected by the earthquake in the northwest of the country.

Charles visited Syria House, a community tent which will be open for a week in Trafalgar Square, and met five people who lost loved ones in the tragedy.

Syrians will be able to come to the home to pay tribute to fallen relatives and organize vigils at the center, which its founders hope will help draw attention to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in the country.

Hundreds of well-wishers gathered around Trafalgar Square to witness his arrival in the centre.

Inside, he met small groups of Syrians one by one and offered traditional Syrian bitter coffee and dates.

Among those he met was Salah Al-Asmar, a Syrian architect who works with the humanitarian group White Helmets and has been in the UK for two years.

He lost his parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew in the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, after being buried under the rubble for seven days.

He said: “I am very grateful to His Majesty for his support. I hope the Syrian people appreciate him for being with us.

“We thank the King and the British people for supporting the Syrian people during this crisis.

“My family was under the rubble for seven days. There was no rescue team.

“At that moment, no one supported them. I can’t sleep for days.

“This is not like a normal emergency. We need proper support from the UK government and the UN.

“I think 52 convoys have reached Syria. This is basic aid and there was no heavy equipment to find people under the rubble.”

Yazan Duedari, who was invited to the event through friends, told the PA news agency: “It was very nice to know that the king was here to support the Syrian people.

“People should shed light on the disaster.

“It is difficult to compare disasters, but this is one of the mass disasters and it happened after 13 years of conflict.

“The king was showing his support and saying, ‘I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you.’ He said, “It’s horrible.” I could see he was emotionally affected.

“It means a lot that he came here and is here to support the Syrian people, the victims and their families.

“It is very important for the Syrian people and community to feel supported by the king.”

Charles also met Bafta-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab, who produced and narrated the 2019 documentary For Sama and co-founded Action for Sama, Action for Sama co-founder Hamzai al-Kateab, center founder Ayman Asfari and teacher and activist Afraa Hashem.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khanwho was in attendance after agreeing to pitch the tent in Trafalgar Square, told the PA that Charles’ visit “speaks volumes for the King”.

He added of the visit: “It was heartwarming. Some of the stories will never leave you.

“For those who were here, it is very important that the king shows solidarity and draws attention to this important issue.”

Charles shook hands with well-wishers, including children, who lined the streets before he left Trafalgar Square.