Royal follower gets a kiss from the Prince of Wales

"Kiss me Charlie," called Lesley Hayde, 69 of Dunedin as she reached out and kissed him, along with Camilla outside the Railway station. Photo: CHRISTINE O'CONNOR / OTD

Prince Charles did not know what was coming when a 69-year-old Dunedin woman went in for a pash today.

Security grabbed Lesley Hayde as she hugged the Prince of Wales and snogged him on the cheek - and then did the same to his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

"I can't believe I got away with it, it's quite hilarious really," said Mrs Hayde.

The gutsy grandmother of six was draped in Union Jack flags and waited for 45-minutes for the royal couple to appear at the Dunedin Railway Station as part of their tour of the city.

"I was just standing outside with the crowd and I saw him coming through with Camilla and just shouted, "Charlie, give us a kiss" and to my surprise he came over.

"He said, 'I don't think that we should kiss'. So I just grabbed him and gave him a kiss on the cheek...and I didn't turn into a frog."

The intervention of his security guard did not deter Mrs Hayde.

"Then I grabbed Camilla and kissed her, too. The body guards were pretty quick, they didn't pull me too much...I just felt a firmish grip on my hand - they probably thought I was just a girl and wouldn't be able to do too much [harm]."

Mrs Hayde's family, including her husband, Rob, were laughing about the incident.

"I'm not jealous a bit," said Mr Hayde.

The Dunedin woman, who moved to New Zealand from Yorkshire 48 years ago, said she was not a royal fanatic but had always liked Prince Charles.

"I'm a royal fan to a degree, I'm not an over-the-top one. I just quite like Charles I think he's been a bit undermined at times but he's a really nice guy."

"I can't believe I got so close. I can't believe I kissed him," she said.

Mrs Hayde had seen Queen Elizabeth before but not Prince Charles and had never got that close to a royal.

"I don't think I would have kissed the Queen", she said.

- Additional reporting Otago Daily Times