Tonga KingSoon to be King, George Tupou, who will be crowned George V

When long-lost friends get back in touch, they usually suggest meeting over a pint or a bite to eat.

However, when Bill Lamin heard from an old Army colleague after a 40-year gap, he was told: ‘You must come to my coronation.’

The person who left the message was none other than the soon-to-be king of Tonga.

Mr Lamin, 60, is now heading out to the five-day event, which starts on Tuesday, and will be joined by the likes of Sir Elton John, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Sean Connery and Elle Macpherson.

The recently retired teacher studied with the then crown prince George Tupou, who will be crowned George V, at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the 1960s.

They became friends but Mr Lamin decided Army life was not for him and left the Surrey academy.

The pair lost touch but Mr Tupou tracked him down via Mr Lamin’s popular website, which details his grandfather’s experiences during World War I.

‘I was at Sandhurst and his father sent him there to continue his traditional English education,’ said Mr Lamin. ‘I never saw George again. We lost touch completely.

‘But he got back in touch out of the blue, saying âYou disappeared, we wondered where you’d gone. You must come to my coronationâ.’

Mr Lamin, of Praa Sands, near Penzance, Cornwall, then received a ‘beautiful’ invitation and is about to leave for the South Pacific archipelago coronation. It will include three balls, an international rugby match and an open-air concert.