A young Millport sailor has told how marching through London behind the King and Queen was one of the best days of his life.

Luke Laidlaw, 18, took part in the coronation of King Charles as part of the Royal Navy, where he is going through training after joining earlier this year.

The teenager, who moved to the island with his family seven years ago, revealed the process to be selected to take part was tough.

He said: “I applied to the Navy in March last year, and started basic training at the beginning of this year.

“I passed out from stage one training and was basically told I was bring put forward to try out for the coronation.

“You are basically watched on how you march and move yourself, with instructors picking up on every minor detail.

“So many people wanted to do it and only 100 made it, so it was competitive and such an honour to be picked.”

Luke says marching through the streets of London behind the Royal Family with thousands cheering was an experience he will never forget.

He explained: “I am based in Portsmouth so it was quite an early start, as we had to get to London early to make sure we were on time.

“We were based at the cenotaph and we joined the parade from there and marched all the way back to Buckingham Palace.

“It was quite surreal but we had to keep focussed and although we’d had lots of rehearsals, there was still a lot to take in.

“It was amazing to be part of and I’m sure it will be one of the highlights of my time in the Royal Navy, even though I’ve barely started yet.”

Luke admits he is looking forward to finishing his training and being assigned to a ship, after wanting to join the navy for many years.

He added: “I will be finishing my phase two training soon and I will then find out where and when I will be deployed.

“I am training as a seaman specialist, which is a general role that helps to keep the ship running and doing other jobs.

“I’ve always been interested in working at sea, and I thought the navy would be a good place to start my journey.

“We moved up to Cumbrae from Kent about seven years ago, and the island has only increased my love of the sea and outdoors.”