King Charles and Queen Camilla bid a warm farewell to the South Korean president and the first lady at Buckingham Palace after bonding over their love of dogs.

As president Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, waved goodbye following a three-day state visit, King Charles patted the first lady’s arm and said: “Hope the dogs are OK.”

The president, 62, and his wife have a menagerie of 11 pets – six dogs and five cats – some of them rescued strays.

Mrs Kim, 51, has been a vocal critic of dog meat consumption.

It was reported last week that South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to the controversy over the ancient custom amid growing awareness of animal rights.

The Queen has two beloved terriers, Beth and Bluebell, which she rehomed from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

On Tuesday, the Queen gave Mrs Kim a pashmina hand embroidered with the Mugunghwa – the national flower of South Korea – and the names of her six dogs, created by embroiderers from The Royal School of Needlework.

It comes after she had images of her own Jack Russell Terriers embroidered in gold thread on her Coronation gown.

As their guests left for the airport, the King, in a smart morning suit ahead of audiences at the Palace, and the Queen, in a bright blue royal dress, waved and smiled from the red carpet at Buckingham Palace.

Mr Yoon thanked the King for his hospitality, giving him a warm double handshake.

Just before stepping into his car, he turned and bowed to the King.

Meeting with veterans

Their Majesties then met four Chelsea Pensioners, all of whom are in their 90s, to thank them for their service during the Korean War.

Peter Fullelove, 90, a veteran of the Black Watch regiment, made the King laugh by discussing how tricky it was as a parachutist to find a clearing in the jungle during operations in Malaya. The monarch had spotted his parachute wings on his red uniform.

Mr Fullelove said: “They dropped me in Malaya but the only problem was the bloody trees, you see. It brought a smile to his face anyway.”

Sapper John Riley, 91, of the Royal Engineers, was thanked by the King after describing his years of service. “We were clearing the minefields and the bridges that were loaded up with explosives over the Imjin River,” he said.

George Reed, 91, also of the Royal Engineers, said he had helped Mr Riley to collect the explosives he’d collected.

Trevor John, 92, of The King’s (Liverpool) Regiment, told their Majesties how he was seriously wounded in a mortar attack in Korea and airlifted out to a Japanese naval hospital to which the King replied: “It’s tough.”

The four veterans, celebrated as heroes in South Korea, watched proudly earlier as president Yoon and Mrs Kim bid farewell to the King and Queen at the palace’s grand entrance.

On Tuesday, the president and first lady thanked the veterans at Westminster Abbey for helping to save their country from a Communist takeover.

Their visit coincided with the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the war.