King Charles hailed Olympians as "inspirational" as he congratulated them for their efforts at the Paris Games

The King said in his statement: "My wife joins me in sending our warmest congratulations to the competitors and their support teams from Team GB and across the whole Commonwealth, for their many outstanding successes at the Olympic Games in Paris.

"Your achievements, across so many disciplines, were forged from that invaluable combination of raw talent, true grit and hard toil over many years, burnished these past weeks by sportsmanship and team spirit in the finest tradition of the Games.

"To those who missed out on the greatest prizes, you have most certainly not fallen short in the pride that you, too, have generated for your nations.

"As we thank France for hosting such a wonderful tournament and look to the Paralympics ahead, I can only say that you have all been an inspiration."

Charles isn't the only royal to congratulate Olympians as Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales featured in a star-studded video paying homage to the achievements of Team GB in Paris.

The clip began with "greetings" from rapper Snoop Dogg - who has been a constant presence at the Games with his work for US broadcaster NBC - before the royals sent their messages of congratulations.

Catherine said: "From all of us watching at home, congratulations to Team GB."

William added: "Well done for all you've achieved, you've been an inspiration to us all."