King Charles and Queen Camilla Arrive at Commonwealth Games in TARDIS

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow via a TARDIS, the iconic time-traveling police box from the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who. The unconventional entrance was explained by organizers as a nod to Scotland's connection with the long-running show, which has featured numerous Scottish actors as the Doctor and is based on a design by a Scottish architect. Glasgow also retains more original police boxes than any other city in the United Kingdom.

A short film preceding the ceremony depicted Sir Chris Hoy and Scottish actor Greg McHugh using the TARDIS to transport the King and Queen from Balmoral Castle to the OVO Hydro Arena. The journey included glimpses of various Scottish landmarks and historical periods before their arrival.

King Charles, wearing a navy suit, and Queen Camilla, in a blue dress, emerged from the TARDIS to a wave and proceeded to their seats in the Royal Box. They were joined by Scottish cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

This year's Commonwealth Games are a scaled-down event due to organizers in Victoria, Australia, withdrawing as hosts in July 2023, citing spiraling costs. This decision left Scotland with limited preparation time. As a result, the number of events has been reduced from 20 to 10, and the number of participating athletes is lower than in previous Games. No new stadiums were built, and the budget has been significantly reduced compared to the 2022 Birmingham Games.

The broadcasting rights for the Games were secured by TNT Sports, marking the first time since 1954 that the BBC will not air the event. Live coverage is available via HBO Max, with daily highlights shown on Channel 5.

Glasgow last hosted the Commonwealth Games 12 years ago, in 2014. The opening ceremony that year was held at the 60,000-capacity Celtic Park and featured prominent entertainers. This year's opening ceremony at the 14,000-capacity OVO Hydro Arena is a more modest affair, with a reduced number of tickets made available for the 11-day event.