Syrians affected by earthquake meet King Charles at Trafalgar Square

Monarch became visibly emotional while visiting the temporary community centre in the heart of London

King Charles III is presented with a White Helmet from the Syria Civil Defence organisation as he talks with members of the Syrian diaspora in Trafalgar Square, London. AP

The king was launching Syria's House, a temporary community tent where members of the Syrian community can gather to support those affected by the earthquake. AFP

King Charles is greeted by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan as he arrives in Trafalgar Square. Reuters

King Charles takes a sip of Syrian tea as he talks with members of the Syrian community. AP

The king meets members of the public. Reuters

He is given a rose for Valentine's Day. AFP

Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

King Charles on Tuesday visited a pop-up support centre in London for Syrians who have been affected by the earthquake.

The king toured Syria’s House, a community tent that will be open until Friday in Trafalgar Square, and met five people who have lost loved ones in the tragedy.

Syrians can visit the house to pay their respects to lost relatives and organise vigils, which its founders hope will help raise awareness of the continuing humanitarian disaster in the country.

Hundreds of well-wishers had gathered around Trafalgar Square to witness King Charles's arrival.

Inside the centre, he greeted small groups of Syrians one by one and was offered traditional Syrian bitter coffee and dates.

Among those he met was Salah Al Asmar, a Syrian architect who works with the White Helmets civil defence group and has been in the UK for two years.

Week two of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria — in pictures

A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images

A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo

A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images

Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP

Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo

Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo

A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria's Aleppo province. AFP

A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP

A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP

A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP

Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters

A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters

A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP

Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP

Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP

A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP

Destruction in Antakya. AP

A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP

A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA

Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA

A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP

A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP

Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP

Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters

A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters

Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP

Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP

Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA

An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP

A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP

Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP

People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters

Destroyed buildings in Syria's rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP

Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters

A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP

Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National

A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo

A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo

Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters

A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP

Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP

Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters

Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP

A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP

A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP

UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters

Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

He lost his parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew in the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, after they were stuck under the rubble for seven days.

“I am very thankful to His Majesty for his support,” Mr Al Asmar said. “I hope the Syrian people appreciate him standing with us.

“We are thanking the king and the British people for supporting the Syrian people during this crisis.

“For seven days, my family were under the rubble. There was no rescue team. No one could support them in this moment. I haven’t been able to sleep for days.

“This is not like a normal emergency situation. We need proper support from the UK government and the UN.

“I think 52 convoys have reached Syria. It is basic aid and there have been no heavy vehicles to find people under the rubble.”

European rescue teams head to Turkey and Syria — in pictures

Members of International Search and Rescue Germany board a charter plane with a search dog at Cologne-Bonn airport, Germany. Reuters

Members of the Dutch search and rescue team USAR arrive at Eindhoven Air Base to board a cargo plane. AFP

Fifty members of the HUNOR Hungarian Rescue Team in Budapest prepare to depart for Turkey. EPA

Greek firefighters with rescue dogs wait to board a military plane at Elefsina Air Force Base, in western Athens, Greece. AP

Czech urban search and rescue firefighters at Leos Janacek Airport in Czech Republic. AP

Members of International Search and Rescue Germany at Cologne-Bonn airport, Germany. Reuters

Swiss team with rescue dogs at Zurich Airport. EPA

A Greek rescue team departs from Elefsina military airport to arrive at the Incirlik airport base in Turkey. EPA

Spanish firefighters with their equipment at Barajas international airport in Madrid, Spain. AP

Romanian rescue workers arrive at the military airbase near Bucharest, Romania, for a last briefing before being sent to southern Turkey. EPA

Yazan Douedari, who was invited to the event through friends, said: “It was very nice to know that the king was here to support the Syrian people.

“People need to shed light on the disaster. It is hard to compare disasters but it is one of the massive disasters, and it has been after 13 years of conflict.

“The king was showing his support and was saying, ‘I can’t imagine how hard it has been for you.' He said, ‘It is terrible.' I saw that he was emotionally affected.

“It means a lot that he came here and is here to support the Syrian people, the victims and their families.

“It means a lot to the Syrian people and community to feel supported by the king.”

Why has it taken so long to get aid to north-west Syria? — video

King Charles met Bafta-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al Kateab, who produced and narrated the 2019 documentary film For Sama and co-founded the campaign group Action for Sama.

He also met the group's co-founder, Hamza Al Kateab, the centre’s founder, Ayman Asfari, and teacher and activist Afraa Hashem.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who attended after granting approval for the tent to be in Trafalgar Square, said that King Charles's visit “speaks volumes” about him.

“It was heart-breaking,” Mr Khan said of the visit. “Some of the stories will never leave you.

“It is really important for those that were here to have the king showing solidarity and shining a spotlight on this important issue.”

King Charles shook hands with well-wishers, including children who had lined the streets, before he left Trafalgar Square.

The king and Queen Consort Camilla made a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s “Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal” last week, which has so far raised £60 million ($73m).

The UK government matched £5m of public donations to the DEC’s appeal through its UK Aid Match scheme.