Former This Morning presenter Fern Britton has revealed she was punched in the kidney by one of the King’s bodyguards during a teenage encounter with the monarch.

The television personality, who rose to prominence in the early 2000s co-presenting This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield, reflected on her younger years when she was establishing herself as an actress.

Speaking on Tim Lihoreau’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? podcast, the 68-year-old disclosed how she used to write letters to the then Prince of Wales requesting his attendance at her performances.

Although she always received replies, it wasn’t until her twenties that she finally secured the chance to meet the royal during his appearance at a fundraising event at Salisbury Cathedral, reports the Mirror.

However, her extraordinary moment didn’t unfold as anticipated after she alleged she received a strike to her kidney while approaching His Majesty: “There was one time when I did get a sort of kidney punch from one of his (King Charles’) protection officers, because I was getting a bit too close with a microphone when he went to Salisbury, because he was raising money for the Salisbury Cathedral spire to be refixed.”

Providing further details about how the alleged incident developed, she revealed: “I had a beautiful suit on and I was looking good.”

She added: "I was in my early to mid-20s, and getting closer and closer and closer just to hear what he was saying to the crowd."

The King then seemingly glanced at one of his protection officers, and shortly after, she was hit. However, she confessed that she doesn’t believe it was intended to be “that hard.”

After leaving acting behind following her time with The Cambridge Theatre Company, she embarked on her broadcasting career in the 1980s with a local TV role in Plymouth.

Since then, she has successfully secured numerous roles, but it was in the 1990s when her career truly began to soar.

In 1994, she was unveiled as the presenter of Ready Steady Cook, but soon left the show after becoming a full-time presenter on ITV’s This Morning, where she co-hosted until 2009.

The Palace has been contacted for a response.