The mother of two boys who fascinated King Charles with their handmade Land Rover said it was “very surreal” to meet him.

Georgina Ward, 35, and her family: husband Simon, 45; and sons William, six; and Oliver, three; went to Sandringham, Norfolk, to catch a glimpse of Charles as he attended a Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church.

Charles appeared to be intrigued by the boys’ mode of transport – a green Land Rover – which was made by Mrs Ward’s father-in-law, Chris Ward, and has a number plate which reads “William”.

“It was a very surreal experience,” Mrs Ward, a nurse, who lives with her family in East Winch, Norfolk, told the PA news agency.

“We went to see (Charles) go in and we weren’t planning on seeing him come out, but because he made such a beeline for the Landy to start with, we thought we had to go back and show him it.

“He came back and was asking questions about whether it was handmade and whether it ran, whether it used a pedal and if we’d crashed into any trees.”

She said the boys were “a bit shell-shocked” to meet the King, but it was a “very special moment for them”.

She added: “We go out with it most Sundays, so it just made sense to take it today and show the King.”