Unlike his grandson, Prince George, who will be heading off to Eton College this September, King Charles was educated a lot further afield as a teenager. The monarch followed in his father's footsteps and went to Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland.

This made him the first Prince of Wales to be educated at a school rather than by private tutors and the late Prince Philip wanted to send his son a little piece of home to keep with him. Instead of a conventional care package or sentimental photo, the doting dad gave his eldest son something a lot more historic - and unexpected.

It turns out Prince Philip sent King Charles a 12th-century Norman font, to remind him of "English beauty" while he was away.

According to The Independent, this "strange story" has largely gone untold over the years and one of the object’s custodians, William Cash, recently revealed how it all came to be. The late Duke of Edinburgh spotted the Norman font while visiting St Michael’s Church in Shropshire in the 1960s with former MP Ivor Bulmer-Thomas.

He claimed, "They went to see it, and Prince Philip apparently said (of the font), ‘I think that would be really good if it was moved to Gordonstoun, because I want my son to be surrounded by ancient objects of English beauty’."

"I think Philip thought, ‘What a waste to have it just sitting in a storage unit,'" he added. "It’s quite large - how they got it up to Gordonstoun I really do not know. This is a strange story that to this day most people don’t know about."

The font stood in the modern school chapel during King Charles’s time there, but was returned to Shropshire in the 1970s. While it might have seemed like an odd choice of gift for a teenager, there could be special significance behind Philip’s gesture.

Decades later, he would concede that, at times, the relationship between he and his eldest son could sometimes be impacted by their differing personalities. In an interview with biographer Gyles Brandreth, as per OK!, Philip admitted, "[Charles is] a romantic, and I'm a pragmatist. That means we do see things differently and because I don't see things as a romantic would, I'm 'unfeeling.'"

Prince Philip choosing to do something as poetic and romantic as sending something to remind his son about England’s beauty and history might have been his way of connecting to his son on his level.

Having this reminder might have been a comfort to King Charles, as many reports over the years have alleged he didn't necessarily love his time at the boarding school. However, it went on to become a definite family favourite, as both of his younger brothers Andrew and Edward were educated there.

Later, his nephew Peter Phillips and niece Zara Tindall also attended Gordonstoun and she's spoken about really enjoying their experience.

"I loved school, I loved sport and being with my mates all the time," she said in 2018. "I don’t know how much work I did. You do get homesick, but I had so much fun, and Pete was very protective."

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's summer reunion with King Charles might've surprised some people - particularly because we've seen no photos of the joyful occasion. Instead, all Buckingham Palace did was confirm the Sussexes had met the King and Queen at Highgrove.

However, according to expert and Woman's Royal Editor Emily Andrews, this approach wasn't Harry and Meghan's choice, but Charles's. Writing in the latest issue, she suggested that His Majesty would've wanted everything else to be kept private.

"There has been no briefing from either Team Sussex or Buckingham Palace on what took place at Highgrove over tea - and certainly no photographs," Emily wrote. "That will have been the King's express request - that it should happen completely privately, and stay that way."

She believes that if any details or pictures are leaked the "fragile trust" between King Charles and his son and daughter-in-law "will be rocked once again". Although Meghan shared snapshots from the family's time in Europe on Instagram, she respected the monarch's reported "request" and no pictures of Archie and Lili with the King were included.

This is particularly interesting given what allegedly happened the last time the Sussexes visited the UK as a family in 2022.

The late Queen Elizabeth met Lili for the first time over the Platinum Jubilee weekend and Emily understands that Harry and Meghan asked if they could bring a "trusted photographer" to capture the moment.

Their own request was apparently "denied" and no pictures of the special family meet-up were shared then either.

This time it seems like the Sussexes were totally happy to honour the King's wishes and just enjoy the moment, as there's been no rumours of them asking again. Keeping it private maintains that "fragile trust" and also ensures the reunion remains a private, family matter. Even so, Emily believes Prince William wasn't delighted…

"I understand that William believes the couple should not have been rewarded with a family meeting, however private, with the King," she claimed recently. "His father has gone ahead, while William is the one carrying an ever-growing share of the actual work and popularity of the monarchy."

Balancing his relationships with both sons might prove tricky for King Charles as long as Harry and William's rift continues. In The Windsor Legacy, author Robert Jobson claimed that something the Duke of Sussex said in 2021 "shattered" brotherly trust.

Harry suggested that his older brother was "trapped" in the royal institution and Jobson alleged that the Prince of Wales "was furious" about this.

"William knew and embraced his path, both the burden and the honour. Harry's words cut deep," he wrote, adding that the "brotherly bond was shattered, and trust gone".

Despite this, Harry and Meghan seem to be making every effort to build trust back up with King Charles by keeping the details of the Highgrove meet-up between them. Perhaps, in time, they could have a reunion with the Waleses too, though privacy will be even more crucial there.

Read Emily Andrews' full feature in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Being monarch grants you a lot of privileges, but also puts you in a position where you have to make some difficult choices between duty and family. The late Queen Elizabeth knew this better than anyone and according to Woman’s royal editor, Emily Andrews, she committed to what many would view as a harsh reality.

Emily recently reflected on Prince Harry and Meghan's recent reunion with the King and revealed what she believes the monarch's main priority should always be.

"Charles' first duty is not to the spare. It is to the heir and his wife," she claimed in the magazine. "That is the deal Queen Elizabeth II understood and honoured for 70 years. The institution comes first, sentiment a distant second."

Since stepping back as working royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex haven't shied away from sharing their thoughts about The Firm. From their Harry & Meghan Netflix series to the Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry's memoir, their revelations and allegations have often put the monarchy in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

According to Emily, the things that have been said "must still be painful" for the Prince and Princess of Wales. She wrote, "I understand that William believes the couple should not have been rewarded with a family meeting, however private, with the King."

King Charles and Queen Camilla met with Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet at Highgrove and although it was a family occasion, he's monarch 24/7 and his decisions will inevitably influence how the Royal Family is viewed by the public. The late Queen was firm about trying to separate love for her family from what made sense for the monarchy.

Despite Harry apparently hoping for a half-in, half-out role, Her Majesty didn’t sign off on this. She made it clear publicly that the Sussexes would no longer carry out engagements on her behalf, though still treasured them as "much loved members of [her] family".

Queen Elizabeth later also stepped in after the Oprah Winfrey interview aired, releasing her "recollections may vary" statement. Her Majesty had to be able to separate the personal from the professional as much as possible and we also saw her do this with King Charles himself.

When he was a child she went on a tour that lasted almost six months and for most of it, he and Princess Anne didn't see their parents. Although it was likely hard for her as a mother to be away so long, duty called and she answered.

Years later when King Charles got married to Queen Camilla, she didn't attend the wedding ceremony, only the service after. Reports have claimed that as she was Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she didn't feel it was right to attend the civil ceremony of two divorcees.

Behind closed doors at the reception she showed her support for Charles' marriage. As per royal biographer Robert Jobson in Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen "could be the proud mother" at their reception and "showed it by breaking convention" and making a speech.

Putting the institution ahead of "sentiment" might sound impossibly hard, but this was something monarchs like Queen Elizabeth - and now King Charles - must seemingly face.

In the end, was this really what Prince Harry wanted?

All the drama, the will-he/won't-he come, the will-the-kids-come/will-they-not confusion and chaos? Perhaps with hindsight, the Duke of Sussex may look back on his two-week visit to the UK and realise how catastrophically he got it wrong.

Then again, maybe not. It never quite ceases to amaze me how Harry's victim mentality ensures that it is ALWAYS someone else's fault.

It's the monarchy's fault, the men in grey suits' fault, his brother's fault, his stepmother's fault and even the British government's fault.

The blame is never his.

Eventually, he did manage to arrange that longed-for meeting between his father and his two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.

The audience - finally convened with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove, their private Gloucestershire residence - was, after all, supposed to be the whole point of his trip to the UK. The King had not seen his Sussex grandchildren for four years – and had only met Lili once.

But I always thought it was a little dangerous - and actually a bit disrespectful to military veterans - that Harry combined his working engagements with family ones.

He had arranged to visit Birmingham to fire the starter pistol on the one-year-to-go mark for the Invictus Games and to attend a summer party for the charity Scotty's Little Soldiers (which provides support for bereaved military children).

So far, so good. But the wheels started to come off even before Harry had set foot in the country.

The Sussexes briefed the press in June that they would come to the UK and bring their children to meet the King.

Prince William was said to be unhappy - and I'm told made it clear that Harry and Meghan were not to be offered Windsor Castle, or indeed any royal accommodation in Windsor.

He did not want to run any risk of seeing his younger brother - or Meghan Markle - on his home turf. A brutal showdown (which is what it would surely be) between the warring brothers is something that William would want to avoid at all costs.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that he'd snub Harry if he came anywhere near. My sources tell me that their relationship is far from thawing.

The King offered Harry somewhere at Buckingham Palace but the duke did not initially respond either way. What followed next suggested perhaps why he'd announced he was bringing his wife and children so publicly.

Harry had hoped to force the government (via the Home Office decision-making body RAVEC) to approve full royal-level protection for his family as he believes it's not safe for them to visit the UK without it.

Yet although the Sussexes would enjoy full royal protection when inside the palace, and they had already sent their itinerary to select journalists like me in the full knowledge that they did not have Metropolitan Police protection, when they were told they weren't going to get the security they wanted, all hell broke loose.

It was briefed that Prince Harry was 'devastated' and 'close to tears'.

Then he told his father he wouldn't stay at Buckingham Palace, only a couple of hours later to say, actually he did want to stay there - just 48 hours before he was due to arrive.

But by then it was too late.

The King put his foot down (and I was getting whiplash with all the about turns) and said no, he couldn't stay. Staff had to be given adequate notice to get rooms ready at the palace and there wasn't enough time.

Part of the problem was that Harry was about to get his judgement in his long court battle for unlawful information gathering against the Daily Mail.

The King no doubt wanted to avoid being dragged into Harry's railing against both the judge and the press once it was announced that he had lost on all counts.

His son has waged war against the pillars of our national life - the press, judiciary and government - not to mention his pot shots against the monarchy itself, from which he has to stand above the fray.

No wonder the King didn't want him to stay at 'Monarchy HQ' - after all, Buckingham Palace is not lastminute.com!

In the event, Harry did strike out of the capital, visiting Birmingham Children's Hospital on behalf of the WellChild charity. He and his family also squeezed in a visit to Althorp, where Princess Diana is buried.

Back in London that same day, William and Kate were presenting their own picture-perfect family image at Wimbledon with children George and Charlotte.

But this visit to our shores and Harry's reaction to the judgement in the court case seems to reconfirm that he lives in a bubble where it is his way or the highway. And when opposition is encountered, it's like a toddler tantrum - toys thrown out of the pram.

Harry's apparent entitlement, lack of good judgement and eternal lashing out have perhaps destroyed his chances of fully rebuilding bridges with his family. Yes, he and Meghan were able to bring their children to meet their grandfather (who is still receiving cancer treatment, don't forget).

But as a future blueprint for calm, measured - and treasured - family time, Harry blew it.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

When Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Sussex family had spent time at Highgrove House with the King on 10th July they included an important detail - Queen Camilla was there. Her relationship with her younger stepson hasn't always been smooth-sailing and some people might've been surprised that she was at the reunion.

According to royal author Catherine Mayer the Queen had to be there, because she's a "non-negotiable part of Charles' life". Opening up to People, she claimed if Harry wants to heal his relationship with his dad, Camilla is key as "there is no reconciliation with him without her."

We don't know if Queen Camilla was at any of the Duke of Sussex's face-to-face meetings with the King in the past few years. Statements released afterwards have only ever mentioned Charles and Harry, but it seems she's going to be included now.

This Highgrove meeting was particularly important as it was the first time Archie and Lilibet have been to the UK or seen their grandfather in person since 2022. Having Queen Camilla be part of this special family moment sends a powerful message, particularly to Harry.

In his memoir, Spare, he explained that he had "complex feelings" about gaining her as a stepparent in 2005, as he "thought [she] had recently sacrificed [him] on her personal PR altar." In an interview to promote the book he also went into this, describing the Queen as "dangerous" because of the "need for her to rehabilitate her image".

The Prince even claimed in his memoir that he and Prince William asked King Charles not to marry Camilla, writing, "'We support you,' we said, 'We endorse Camilla,' we said. 'Just please don't marry her, just be together, Pa.'"

"He didn't answer. But she answered. Straight away. Shortly after our private summits with her, she began to play the long game. A campaign aimed at marriage, and eventually the Crown, with Pa's blessing we presumed," Harry added.

Earlier this year King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary and Woman's Royal Editor Emily Andrews has revealed that the Queen was shocked by her stepson's Spare comments, as their relationship had been better.

"Harry and Camilla's relationship had always been slightly uneasy but by the time of his wedding to Meghan it had much improved," Emily wrote. "So she was staggered when Harry hurled so many hurtful barbs her way - which also angered the King."

A friend also claimed to Emily, "The Queen has always appreciated how hard it has been for William and Harry after the death of their mother. She never sought to take her place, and has always tried to remain sensitive."

They added that she "kept her counsel, despite the many slings and arrows of public acrimony" to protect the monarchy's reputation. Queen Camilla apparently found "Meghan and Harry's public rejection and criticism, which caused so much damage, unforgivable".

Despite this, she was there at Highgrove. Could this signal that a reconciliation really is a priority right now? Queen Camilla's presence would've meant a lot to King Charles and it's not just the monarch whose bond with Harry will need to be healed if they're going to move forwards.

Princess Diana and King Charles apparently disagreed over something rather important when their sons were born - and Harry's latest podcast interview brought it to mind. The Duke of Sussex recorded a special episode of Joe Mahler Will See You Now during his time in the UK and introduced himself to listeners in an unusual way.

He was asked by retired rugby star Joe to do so and he responded, "Henry Albert Charles David, Duke of Sussex". This is one of the only times we've heard the Prince refer to himself like this and even when he was a child he was always called Harry.

His first name was chosen by Princess Diana and she also picked 'William' for the Prince of Wales after rejecting Charles's options. In Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story, she's quoted as saying, "He wanted Albert and Arthur, and I said no. Too old."

According to People, she told Morton in their interview that "there weren't fights" about it - she just said, "No thank you" to those. In the end, Charles and Diana reached a compromise and Arthur and Albert were both used for their sons in another way.

When he gave his full name on Joe Mahler's podcast, the Duke of Sussex could be seen as re-affirming that link with his family and his royal position. Joe's podcast co-host Jake Bhardwaj quipped, "It's a long one" and laughed after hearing Harry's intro.

As Harry just reminded us all, Albert is one of his three middle names, whilst Prince William has Arthur as a middle name. Arthur has obvious Arthurian legend links but Albert is a more traditional British royal name. Perhaps King Charles wanted to honour his grandfather, as George VI changed his name from Albert when he became King.

Albert was also the name of one of Diana's grandfathers. Even so, it seems she wasn't swayed and thought the middle names could pay tribute instead. Harry also has Charles as a middle name as a nod to his dad and David could be after Charles's cousin, David Armstrong-Jones.

Diana and Charles aren't the only royal parents who have initially disagreed over baby names. The Princess of Wales apparently preferred something different for George before he was born, but she ended up being the one who compromised.

In his book, William & Catherine, royal author and editor Russell Myers claimed she "had her heart set on" Alexander for a boy or Alexandra for a girl. Prince George has Alexander as a middle name and William "was keen to incorporate a tribute to his late mother" with a daughter.

Princess Charlotte was later given Diana as a middle name and Harry and Meghan did the same when Princess Lilibet was born in 2024. During his podcast interview, the Duke of Sussex spoke about his late mother and how he's taken her style of parenting on board with his kids.

He's said that Diana used to hug him and William "as tight as possible" and now he hugs Archie and Lili "extra tight" after a difficult day. A few days earlier Harry also revealed the family marks his mum's birthday and the anniversary of her death by making lemon drizzle cake in her honour.

Just when we thought it wasn't going to happen, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet had not only come to the UK after all, but had seen King Charles. The reunion took place on the afternoon of 10th July and no pictures were shared by either the King and Queen or the Sussexes.

Even so, it was a big step in the right direction for Harry's dreams of a "reconciliation" and the most interesting detail for me was the location of the meet-up. Highgrove House in Gloucestershire is the King's family home and is privately owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, unlike Clarence House which is owned by the Crown Estate.

It's also where Prince Harry spent a lot of time as a child. There are special snaps of him and William with Princess Diana and King Charles in the picturesque grounds in the years before their divorce.

There could've been plenty of logistical reasons for the Sussexes meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove, though I think it says a lot that it took place there. Security and privacy is a huge concern for Prince Harry and Meghan when it comes to Archie and Lili and the reunion wasn't announced in advance.

The Duke didn't confirm his wife or children were even coming to the UK and Highgrove gave them space and seclusion for the highly-anticipated reunion without the public gaze on them. London is inevitably busier and more likely that the Sussexes would be spotted heading into Clarence House, for example.

Highgrove is also purely a family home and this was a "private family meeting" between a grandfather and his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. The setting was more low-key than a palace and although as the King, Charles might still not be entirely happy with how Harry and Meghan have gone about things like their Australian visit in April, this was a personal visit.

I also believe that Highgrove's connection to happier times and Diana might have made it a more comfortable place for Harry and his family to come to. It would've also been lovely for him to show Archie and Lili where he partly grew up too.

Privacy and family are clearly the priority when it comes to the Royal Family's relationship with the Sussexes right now. We don't know how long Harry, Meghan and the kids will be staying in the UK, though reports had suggested that the Duke was keen to bring them to Princess Diana's final resting place at her family home, Althorp House.

It's claimed that they've now visited and a few days earlier Prince Harry explained how he remembers his mother on significant dates like her birthday on 1st July and the anniversary of her death on 31st August. When asked about it at Scotty's Summer Festival, he said, "Yes, we do lemon drizzle cake."

Prince Harry is the Global Ambassador for Scotty's Little Soldiers, which supports bereaved military children who have experienced the loss of a parent. He went on to say that "traditions are really, really important. Especially when they're sweet."

Prince Harry's much-talked about trip to the UK this month has got off to a rather confusing start amid reports that he would, and then wouldn't, be staying at Buckingham Palace during his time in London. Initially, Meghan and their children were expected to accompany him but now we know they won't visit the capital.

There's still some hope that the Duchess, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet could reunite with Harry when he's in Birmingham later on. If they do come, a meet-up with King Charles might still be on the cards.

However, according to a friend of the Duke and Duchess, Archie and Lilibet aren't really aware of their relatives' position and status. Speaking to Hello!, the friend claimed, "The truth is they don't really have any concept about who they [the Royal Family] are."

They added that Harry and Meghan "are very good at keeping them away from it all so they live as normal little kids". According to the publication, they're "excited" to potentially see King Charles, though it seems they view him simply as their grandfather and not as King.

In contrast, their cousins George, Charlotte and Louis have grown up very aware of their grandpa's role. They see the crowds that line the streets for events like Trooping the Colour and they've all been gently introduced to public life.

Prince Archie and Lilibet haven't had any of these high-profile royal experiences and so their understanding of the Royal Family as an institution will naturally be different anyway. If their parents do keep them "away from it all" then this will be even more so.

Seven-year-old Archie does know that King Charles lives in a rather unusual residence, though. Royal expert and author Tom Quinn previously claimed to The Mirror that he "loves the idea that his grandad lives in a castle" and "many of Archie's books are about kings, princesses and castles".

King Charles actually lives at Clarence House but does have the right to live at many other royal residences, including Windsor Castle and Balmoral Castle. These places will sound particularly grand to Archie and Lili, who were born without titles.

The Sussex siblings were last in the UK during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and this is understood to be the first and only time Lilibet was introduced to the King.

"The [King and Queen] were absolutely thrilled to see them. He hadn't met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing," a source claimed at the time, alleging that it was "very special" to see Archie again too.

Prince Harry has said openly that he misses parts of the UK and would "love" a reconciliation with his family. A source close to him has also told The Telegraph that he "just wants his kids to see their grandfather".

The Duke of Sussex will undertake a week of engagements and we'll soon know whether Meghan, Archie and Lilibet are going to make the trip over or if there's no chance of an in-person meeting with the King this time.

The Prince of Wales's holiday plans with the family are always kept private but there could be a much more high-profile trip on the horizon this summer. Prince William has revealed that he'll be jetting off if the England Football Team is in the World Cup Final.

As President of the Football Association and a huge fan of the sport he wouldn't want to miss it, and he said as much on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast. Recorded before England's remarkable win against Mexico to reach the final 16, the hosts asked William if he would travel over if the squad makes the finals.

He responded, "Definitely. If we're in the finals", but there's one royal who won't be heading to North America with him. King Charles and Prince William have a lot in common but father and son agree to disagree when it comes to football.

Although the Royal Family is famously sporty, the King doesn't share William's passion for football and had no involvement in his son supporting Aston Villa in the Premier League. The Prince was asked directly about this, as it's common for younger generations to support the same team as their dads.

"Absolutely not," William replied, laughing. "My father hates football. My family [hasn't] got a particularly long history with football. There are a few of us who support teams."

He might not have grown up attending matches with King Charles, but William has introduced Prince George to the wonderful game. The 12-year-old is every bit as into football as the Prince of Wales and also proudly supports Aston Villa.

Prince William has been open about not wanting to influence his children's choice of teams and is actually happy for them to support opposing sides.

"I'm kind of hoping they'll all find their own teams in time," he said in the past. "They don't all have to be Villa fans. I'm trying not to be biased but obviously they see how passionate I am about it and they watch the matches with me."

Regardless of what Premier League team Prince George, Charlotte and Louis support, they can all join their father in getting behind England in the World Cup. They're now on summer break from school which also means they're free to travel too.

It's unlikely he'd bring all three with him if England makes it to the final as he would be there as FA President, but Prince George has been to two Euros finals with the Prince of Wales and I can imagine him going to the World Cup.

At the Euros in 2021 he matched William in a suit and royal expert Duncan Larcombe claimed to OK! that he wanted to emulate his "absolute hero".

"William would never have normally taken him to the football because it was an official outing in his role as president of the FA, but George absolutely begged to be allowed to come along," he added.

He's old enough to entertain himself whilst William is chatting to others and as he's set to be King one day, he's used to meeting officials too. Of course, Prince William's remark on the podcast suggests a trip will only happen if England is in the final and there's still a long way to go.

Despite having a "deep respect" for a centuries-old royal tradition, King Charles has decided to break it. Since Queen Victoria's reign the British monarch's official home has always been Buckingham Palace but the latest royal accounts reveal the King and Queen won't be moving there when the refurbishments are completed next year.

They'll stay at Clarence House and although there are practical reasons that could have made Charles's mind up, I suspect there's also a huge emotional motive for him giving up the tradition instead of his current residence. Clarence House was where the Queen Mother used to live and the King had an incredible relationship with his grandmother.

She looked after him and Princess Anne a lot in Queen Elizabeth's early reign and former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes he wants to recreate their "magical" bond with his grandkids.

"When you've had a wonderful experience in life, it's natural to want to replicate it for your children and grandchildren," she previously claimed. "Charles had a magical relationship with his grandmother, the Queen Mother. And I’m sure his dearest wish is to give George – and his other grandchildren – a similar strong and loving relationship."

The King spent a lot of time with her at Clarence House growing up and moved in there in 2003. When he proposed to Queen Camilla he did so with a magnificent emerald-cut diamond ring that used to belong to the Queen Mother too.

Clarence House holds precious memories and associations for King Charles, so it would've been a wrench to give it up on an emotional level. It also makes sense that he and Camilla, both in their 70s, wouldn't want the upheaval of moving themselves and members of staff.

According to the BBC, this is understood to be a reason they're not going to take up residence at Buckingham Palace, as well as allowing the public greater access to the landmark. Though I still think the Queen Mother link will have made this home irreplaceable for Charles.

Even though tradition is being broken, a spokesperson made it clear that the King respects the role this iconic royal home has. They declared, "His Majesty retains huge affection for Buckingham Palace and a deep respect for its role in royal and public life. It will be a buzzing hive of royal activity in every other way".

The public could potentially enjoy having wider access to the palace for longer and His Majesty will continue to host events there. The announcement is featured in accounts after the King became the first British monarch to release their tax payments.

Clarence House is a three minute drive from Buckingham Palace and is just as convenient for King Charles as it was for his grandmother. When she died in 2002 he shared an incredibly moving message, calling her "the original life enhancer, whether publicly or privately" and saying she "meant everything" to him.

"She seemed gloriously unstoppable and, since I was a child, I adored her," King Charles said. "Her houses were always filled with an atmosphere of fun, laughter and affection, and I learnt so much from her of immense value to my life."

"She was quite simply the most magical grandmother you could possibly have, and I was utterly devoted to her," he added.

King Charles has experienced plenty of 'firsts' since he ascended the throne but none quite like his latest. It's been confirmed that His Majesty will release his personal tax bill to "encourage wider understanding of our accountability".

This means revealing the total tax payments on any income and personal investments, as well as tax paid on anything made from private estates and holdings, such as the Duchy of Lancaster. Some people might be surprised that this wasn't already happening, but it's actually quite a major announcement.

Revealing the motivation behind the huge change, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson explained, "To put it simply, we continue to modernise and evolve. Our aim is to explain all elements of royal finances in a way that further enhances clarity and accessibility, while also placing it in its historical and constitutional context."

The Palace also confirmed this was an "express wish" of the King himself, a sign that he is walking the walk when it comes to his desires to modernise the monarchy.

The spokesperson shared, "While this is the first time a monarch has shared this personal tax information, you may recall it was similarly released by His Majesty when he was Prince of Wales. The decision to do so as sovereign has come at the express wish of the King himself, as part of the adaptations carried across since accession."

Monarchs are not obliged to pay income tax, inheritance tax on what they receive from a previous monarch or capital gains tax. However, following in his mother’s lead, the King voluntarily pays both income tax and capital gains tax.

Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to voluntarily start paying income tax in 1993, though she never declared a tax bill. The momentous move by Her Majesty came at a time when the royals were under scrutiny by the public for their finances.

Following the fire at Windsor Castle, there were some who were critical of the idea that the taxpayer should shoulder the cost of repairs. In a diplomatic move that proved she could bridge the gap between the monarchy and the people, the Queen chose to start paying income tax each year.

King Charles's desire to revolutionise the royal finances is just one more example of him redefining the role of the monarch and putting his own stamp on things - something which started pretty much as soon as he acceded the throne in 2022.

Trimming down some of the spectacle, his coronation in 2023 had a reported 2000 attendees, compared to the 8000 or so that were invited to Queen Elizabeth’s in 1953.

King Charles has also opened up more of the royal residences to the public. This includes the opening of Queen Elizabeth's former private living quarters at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the first time ever this year. According to reports this is so that the Royal Family can contribute more in raising funds themselves.

A palace source told Vanity Fair, "The king wants to open more palaces to the public. It's a way of making money for royal charities like the Royal Collection and the King's Foundation while allowing the public to experience something unique."

The King’s birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, gives us a chance to see several generations of the Royal Family come together and His Majesty took the lead with his grandchildren. King Charles stood next to Princess Charlotte on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the traditional flypast and was observed giving her a discreet instruction during it.

The 11-year-old Princess was seen turning round when the Red Arrows flew overhead and according to lip-reader Jeremy Freeman, she asked if it was time to wave. The expert claimed to The Mirror that King Charles responded confidently, "Very good. Now we give a wave", seemingly to everyone around him including Charlotte.

He then emphasised his royal request, adding, "Wave to everyone. Cheerio. That’s right, thank you very much".

The Red Arrows' flight, known for delivering a magnificent display using red, blue and white smoke, marks the end of Trooping the Colour. The Royal Family usually give the cheering crowds outside the palace a final wave and then return inside out of view.

Since the Prince and Princess of Wales are very experienced and will have known when to wave, it seems that King Charles's instruction was more for the children's benefit, especially as Charlotte had specifically asked about the timings. Jeremy alleged that Louis also turned to Prince William afterwards and asked, "Is there more?"

The dad-of-three then apparently confirmed, "No, that's it. Go on wave, that's it" and we were treated to a final wave and very brief look-back from Charlotte before they disappeared inside. She might have wanted confirmation about when to wave, but the Princess knew her stuff.

King Charles's response proves that Charlotte's instincts were right and this is no surprise given how seriously she takes protocol. Throughout the balcony appearance she was standing straight and staring straight ahead, just like King Charles and Queen Camilla, whilst George and Louis were more chatty with their parents.

We've seen Charlotte telling off her younger brother before for dancing at Trooping the Colour as they waited to go on the balcony. Lip-reader Nicola Hickling claimed to The Mirror at the time that Charlotte said to him, "You have to stop doing that. Watch the parade".

Louis was seemingly unimpressed and responded bluntly, "I won't", leading his sister to quip, "Do as you're told". She often tries to keep Louis in line and The Sunday Times's Royal Editor Roya Nikkah has previously described the "power" the Princess has.

Speaking on The Royals podcast she explained, "When he first grew his beard, Princess Charlotte hated it so much, she burst into tears and he shaved it off. Which, I think tells you a lot, tells us a lot about how much power Charlotte wields in the royal household."

Assistant Royal Editor Kate Mansey added that it's the 11-year-old who's "calling the shots" in her family. When she was born, King Charles said at an engagement that he "was hoping for a granddaughter" and was "really rather thrilled" at the news.

Could King Charles's new garden achieve the impossible and reunite Princes William and Harry?

I only ask because I spotted a fascinating detail, which harks back to happier times between the now warring brothers.

The King has collaborated with Sir David Beckham, Alan Titchmarsh and horticulturist Frances Tophill to create the RHS and King's Foundation Curious Garden for the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show, held in London last month.

I was lucky enough to have a guided tour and absolutely loved it (particularly the colourful planting and the delphiniums, which are the King’s favourite).

But inside the oak-framed potting shed at its centre - described as a ‘museum of curiosities’ - was one very famous photograph. In a framed newspaper cutting was the then-Prince of Wales’s Christmas card from 1995.

Taken in his beloved Highgrove garden earlier that summer, it shows a smiling Prince Charles sitting on a bench.

Either side of him are two large terracotta urns - with a teenage William and Harry inside each one. The boys are grinning from ear to ear, and their dad seems to be laughing at their cheeky antics.

Nothing in the Curious Garden (so-called as it aims to spark curiosity in younger people for gardening) is there by accident. A duplicate of the Highgrove terracotta urns stands outside, while a lot of the curios inside speak to the creators’ families.

There’s some homemade Golden Beez honey by Becks and son Cruz, some Posh Pommes apple juice made by Victoria, a handwritten ode by Frances’ young nephew to RHS Chelsea dropping its long-standing gnome ban, a lovely watercolour by another of her nephews, and four gnomes - each one labelled after the collaborative garden family of King Charles III, Sir David, Alan and Frances.

So that happy Wales family picture - of William and Harry as brothers-in-arms before the death of their mum Princess Diana - is there for a reason. It’s a tribute to an earlier time.

I’d like to think it’s a silent wish - a plea, even - from a dad who wants his boys back together.

Wouldn’t it be great if William and Harry could bury the hatchet for the sake of their dad? After all, if the King can forgive and forget, shouldn’t they? Shouldn’t we?

Outside in the garden was a rose named after Sir David, and another after the King. Life is not always coming up roses. But maybe the princes could take a look at the joy in their father’s garden and turn over a new leaf.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Princess Anne is the Royal Family's not-so-secret weapon, calmly filling her schedule with huge numbers of engagements and never seeking the spotlight for herself. Her approach has made her invaluable to King Charles in particular and she's apparently "determined" to help him stabilise the monarchy's future after a challenging time.

According to royal author Robert Jobson, she is "the family member the King can rely on absolutely". Speaking to Hello!, he shared that the Princess "doesn't stop", although what he calls the "Andrew fallout" has "undoubtedly rattled her and the family".

Princess Anne's younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office in February.

Just months earlier he was stripped of his princely title by the King and notice was served on his lease at his home of over two decades, Royal Lodge. Andrew now lives on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and he continues to vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing against him.

Even so, scrutiny and headlines continue to follow him and, by association, the Royal Family, so it's perhaps no surprise if his older sister feels "rattled". Throughout everything, Robert claims Princess Anne is "determined to serve her brother [King Charles] as he steadies the throne".

"But she has never wanted the spotlight; she has never needed it," the author of The Windsor Legacy continued. "She turns up, does the job, gets back in the car. She never shies away from her duties and responsibilities. Such work is what holds the institution together."

A lot of the time fans might not even be aware of certain engagements Anne is undertaking as many of them aren't highly photographed. Whilst some view the royals as glamorous celebrities, the Princess Royal is focused on "serving" like Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and isn't interested in having the limelight for herself.

"It's not just about, 'Can I get a tick in the box for doing this?'" she told Vanity Fair in 2020. "No, it's about serving…. It comes from an example from both my parents' way of working and where they saw their role being."

Philip reportedly thought, "The attention is for your role, what you do, what you're supporting. It isn't for you as an individual. You are not a celebrity. You are representing the Royal Family. That's all." It's a sentiment Princess Anne seems to share.

What better person for King Charles to "rely on absolutely" than her? The siblings are closer in age than they are to Andrew and Edward and the Princess Royal took pride of place next to the King in his official group coronation portrait in 2023.

After everything that's happened concerning Andrew, the rest of the Royal Family have been united behind King Charles and many of them are expected to reunite on 6th June for Anne's son Peter Phillips' wedding to Harriet Sperling. The private ceremony will take place in Gloucestershire and reports have alleged that neither Andrew nor the Sussexes will be there.

Each year in the late spring and early summer over 30,000 guests are invited to the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Royal Garden Parties always attract fascination and woman&home Royal Correspondent Emily Andrews has been lucky enough to attend over the years.

Reflecting upon the experience on an episode of her podcast, Catching Up with the Royals, Emily shared what she found "unimaginative" and revealed guests aren't given spoons to stir their tea. Why? Allegedly because "everyone always steals" them.

This idea perhaps clashes with the glamorous image one might have of guests in their formal attire, with the official dress code asking gentlemen to wear morning dress or lounge suits, while women wear day dress, usually with hats or fascinators. However, it makes sense. After all, who wouldn’t try to take a sneaky souvenir from the palace?

Perhaps replacing cutlery proved too costly or time-consuming. Now, instead of giving out teaspoons, Emily explained that guests are handed porcelain trays with which to balance their sandwiches and tea at the same time.

Seen as a vital way for the Royal Family to connect with a broad range of people from all walks of life, the tradition of Royal Garden Parties first started back in the 1860s, when Queen Victoria would host formal events known as ‘breakfasts’ for the upper classes to mingle. This later changed and the parties now focus on recognising and rewarding acts of public service and community spirit.

Today, guests can be nominated by colleagues if they work as any kind of public servant, as divulged by Emily. The royal expert listed off a few professions that are often present, including NHS workers, teachers, newly stated MPs and judges.

Guests usually have around an hour’s wait before the royals arrive and the National Anthem is played and guests are organised into lines. People are chosen ahead of time to speak to the royals, so it’s not a given that you’ll necessarily get to chat with the likes of the Princess of Wales or King Charles.

The royals also have their own special tent, which Emily described as something of a VIP tent, set up just before a big pond at the end of the gardens. This sounds pretty impressive but for Emily there was one aspect of the day that was perhaps a tad underwhelming - the gardens themselves.

Dubbing herself a "keen florist" on the podcast, she shared that, though the Rose Garden is "lovely", the wider gardens were "unimaginative" at the time.

However, King Charles might have improved upon that. Emily acknowledged that she hasn’t been to a Garden Party since His Majesty took the throne, and he has reportedly "sown a lot of wildflowers" and revamped the gardens.

This is in keeping with what’s known about the King, who has also transformed the 200-year-old East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle into the Venus Garden. Recently announced by the Royal Collection Trust, the gardens were designed according to plans by the King, inspired by his passion for astronomy and sustainability.

Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022 was met with outpourings of grief and tributes from public figures, fans and, of course, those who knew her best. Just a day after losing his mother and ascending the throne King Charles addressed the nation and honoured his "darling mama".

Now he's put pen to paper and reflected on her "final days" in Scotland in the foreword for the soon-to-be-released Balmoral by Mary Miers. As reported by The Telegraph, the King explains that Queen Elizabeth "particularly treasured her time at Balmoral".

"It was here, in these most beloved of surroundings, that she chose to spend her final days," he added poignantly.

Balmoral Castle was widely seen as Queen Elizabeth's favourite residence and it's where she spent her summer holidays with her family. Because of this, it also means a lot to them and Charles confirms this, adding, "Since my earliest childhood, it has held, and continues to hold, a uniquely special place in the hearts of my family and myself."

Her choice to head to Scotland for what turned out to be the final months of her life shows how important Balmoral and the tradition of going there was to her. She seemingly knew this could be where she passed away, as Princess Anne has described the Queen's concern over whether it would be "difficult" if she died there.

However, Elizabeth's daughter encouraged her to see that the practicalities of arranging her funeral didn't matter compared to her comfort and happiness.

"I think there was a moment when she felt that it would be more difficult if she died at Balmoral", Anne said on the BBC documentary Charles III The Coronation Year. "We did try to persuade her that [location] shouldn't be part of the decision-making process. So I hope she felt that was right in the end, because I think we did."

Princess Anne was with Queen Elizabeth for the last 24 hours of her life - something she thinks she was very "fortunate" to have experienced. She also accompanied her mother's coffin from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and then from there to London.

"It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys. Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting," the Princess Royal declared in a statement at the time.

The Queen spent so much of her life being scrutinised and in the public eye, but at Balmoral she could enjoy just being Elizabeth. It's no wonder she specifically chose to spend her "final days" there - a place that Princess Eugenie once said gave them all "room to breathe".

"I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands," she explained, adding that it used to be a "lovely base" for the Queen and Prince Philip. Although Balmoral and its grounds are open from spring to August, it's one of the few privately-owned royal residences and is still where King Charles heads for his annual summer break.

Just over a year on from Prince Harry publicly declaring he'd "love" a reconciliation with his family, the Sussex family still hasn't visited the UK all together. However, royal author Ingrid Seward doesn't believe that a royal invite from King Charles is totally off the table for Harry, Meghan and their children this summer.

It would mean going a little further afield than Clarence House, though, as she thinks that Balmoral Castle in Scotland is the "only" place this meeting could happen.

"The only place that really I think they could meet if the King is to get to know or at least see his grandchildren, is at Balmoral," Ingrid claimed to The Mirror. "It's the only time the King has time and the Sussexes could be accommodated there because there's lots of cottages on the Estate."

The last time Archie and Lilibet were in the UK was in 2022 and Lili turned one during the trip. Four years later and that's still the only time she's met King Charles in person, so he'd no doubt be delighted to spend more time with her and Archie if they fly over.

As Ingrid mentioned, His Majesty has more free time than usual when he's at Balmoral as he usually goes there in August for his annual summer break. During this time he carries on with certain royal duties but public engagements are pretty much paused for the whole Royal Family.

Balmoral Castle is set on a 50,000 acre estate and Ingrid explained that Harry and Meghan "don't have to stay in the castle", although they "would expect to, but that's fine". She also believes the couple would "make sure" that their visit wouldn't coincide with the Prince and Princess of Wales going up to Scotland to see the King.

Whilst Charles and Harry have seen each other privately in the past few years, relations between William and his brother are as distant as ever. However, Ingrid thinks it's "not that difficult" for the two families to avoid each other, so a possible Sussex visit "can be done fairly under the radar".

Because Balmoral closes to the public over King Charles's summer break and he's generally not doing engagements, there's a lot more privacy up there for him and photographs are rarely taken. King Charles still has his round-the-clock security too which might give Harry and Meghan reassurance about Archie and Lilibet's safety whilst they're there.

Out of all the royal residences, Balmoral was said to be the late Queen Elizabeth's favourite home and she also spent her summers there, hosting various members of her wider family. Meghan, Archie and Lili have still never been to the castle but Prince Harry considers it a very special place to him.

"To me, Balmoral was always simply Paradise. A cross between Disney World and some sacred Druid grove," he wrote in Spare.

If King Charles does invite the family to join him at the Balmoral estate - and Harry and Meghan accept - then perhaps Archie and Lilibet can experience some of what their dad did as a child. It would also be a massive step for the royals after everything that's happened, so keeping it "under the radar" might be easier said than done.

Can the feud between Prince William and Prince Harry ever be solved? Certainly, it's King Charles’s wish that peace should reign. And now, I understand that he has tasked his right-hand man with trying to broker peace between the warring brothers.

Essentially, he wants what most fathers would want - his sons to be on speaking terms. And if that means asking William to forgive Harry for what he has done, then so be it.

It has been reported that Charles’s deputy private secretary Theo Rycroft has made it his ‘number one mission’ to reunite Harry and William.

Quite how he’s going to do that remains unclear.

But it would certainly make it much easier for the King to see Harry - and, indeed, attend the Invictus Games next year in Birmingham - if his two sons were at least on texting terms. The brothers, once so close, haven’t spoken for years.

I broke the story that they had first fallen out over William's well-meant warning to Harry that he didn't need to rush things with his then-girlfriend Meghan Markle. Harry ignored the advice, and things went from bad to worse, with the result that the Sussexes walked away from royal life, with a lot of public acrimony, in January 2020.

It was just after the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021 that Harry asked William and the then-Prince Charles to meet him privately in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Just a month earlier, Harry and Meghan had given their incendiary interview to Oprah Winfrey, claiming royal ‘concerns’ over their baby Archie’s skin colour, emotional abandonment and that they’d been cut off financially. Harry went on to say that his brother and father were ‘trapped’ within the royal system, unable to leave as he did.

Punchy stuff. Some may say unforgivable. The late Queen memorably responded by saying, ‘recollections may vary.’

So when Harry, William and Charles did meet, in an attempt to clear the air, Harry writes in his autobiography, Spare, that he and William ‘began sniping’ and it got so heated that ‘Pa raised his hands.’ Standing between them, pleading, Charles said, 'Please, boys - don’t make my final years a misery.'

Harry then, in my opinion, frames the whole writing of Spare as a letter to his father and ‘my beloved brother, my arch-nemesis’ on why he left the UK and the Royal Family.

After the book’s publication in 2023, William felt utterly betrayed, as it went much further than Harry and Meghan's Oprah and then Netflix bombshells.

Old scores were rehashed, and a huge amount of new detail was given about William and Catherine's falling-out with Harry and Meghan, along with accusations aplenty that the Sussexes were victims in all of this - hung out to dry by both the establishment and William.

William reportedly banned any mention of Harry and Meghan, not wanting to get involved in their drama. Then the Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, meaning both she and William concentrated on their own immediate family to literally survive its devastating effects.

I understand that Harry tried to privately reach out to his brother via text and WhatsApp, but never received any reply. He then stopped trying.

For a period, Charles too didn’t speak to Harry. But then, I understand, conversations resumed last year - and the King invited Harry to tea at Clarence House in September.

Since then, I’m told they speak on the phone every so often. The King also occasionally speaks to and video-calls his Sussex grandchildren Archie, seven, and Lili, four, whom he has only met a couple of times.

So it makes sense that while Charles’s elder son is still holding a massive grudge and has refused his father’s pleading to make up, a diplomat may hold the key.

Theo Rycroft is an Oxford-educated lawyer who joined the Foreign Office in 2005 and has held a string of senior international roles including legal adviser to the Prime Minister, head of international and EU law at the Attorney General’s Office, and deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Paris.

It is understood that Theo has made it his ambition to reunite Princes William and Harry, with a source saying that he believes the situation has become ‘ridiculous’ and is keen to resolve it.

He’s worked with William before, on several high-profile international engagements, including the prince’s hugely scrutinised trip for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral (when he also met Donald Trump).

Certainly, I’ve always thought that William needs, at the very least, a working relationship with his brother by the time he becomes King.

But after all the betrayal, whether Mr Rycroft is the one to achieve William’s forgiveness remains to be seen.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Despite the number of royal guests at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding, the Duchess's anniversary throwback photos only featured one of them. King Charles can be seen standing in St George's Chapel to the left of Meghan in the third of the daytime pictures taken by photographer Chris Allerton.

As he wasn't the main focus of the snap, you could easily think this was a coincidence but royal expert and author Ingrid Seward believes otherwise. She thinks Meghan's choice speaks volumes about how she's feeling about her father-in-law and her and Harry's place in the Royal Family.

"Meghan doesn't do anything without purpose, so she's sending a message, isn't she?," Ingrid claimed to The Mirror. "The message is, 'We're still very much part of your family.'"

She continued, "That's what Harry and Meghan need because I don't think they knew when they cut themselves off - with Harry's book and the Oprah interview - just how alienated they were going to be."

King Charles is the head of the family and he and Prince Harry met face-to-face last year for tea at Clarence House, which some hoped could be the start of a tentative reconciliation. Meghan's relationship with her father-in-law isn't scrutinised as often as his bond with his sons, but Ingrid described the King as "very caring towards her".

According to the royal expert, the pair's relationship at the beginning "meant a lot to Meghan". This was reflected in his special role at the Sussexes' wedding, where he partially walked his daughter-in-law down the aisle instead of her father Thomas.

She walked down the first half of the aisle alone before King Charles joined her from the Quire until she reached her husband-to-be at the altar. In her and Harry's Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, the Duchess described how this came about.

"Harry's dad is very charming and I said to him, 'I've lost my dad in this'," Meghan shared. "Him as my father-in-law is very important to me, so I asked him to walk me down the aisle."

Meanwhile, Harry said in the documentary, Prince, Son And Heir: Charles at 70, that his dad "immediately" said "I'll do whatever Meghan needs and I'm here to support you". So much has happened since then and she and Charles last saw each other in person at Queen Elizabeth's funeral which was both a very sad and very public occasion.

Writing in the latest issue of Woman, Royal Editor Emily Andrews says that since Harry's tea at Clarence House, she's told father and son "speak on the phone every so often".

"The King also occasionally speaks to and video-calls his Sussex grandchildren Archie, seven, and Lili, four, whom he has only met a couple of times," Emily claims.

Duchess Meghan's public "message" that they're still part of the family is particularly interesting given how open Harry's been about wanting to reconcile with the royals. It's a subtle detail that could actually be very significant, hinting she's aligned with her husband on building bridges with King Charles.

Every parent has their own way of doing things and King Charles and Princess Diana's couldn't have been more different. The late Princess broke the mold as a royal mother and according to former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe, her husband allegedly found this "difficult".

Ken first met Prince Harry when he was three and he opens up on Channel 5's new documentary, Prince Harry in Therapy, about how we were all "witnessing a new style of parenting" with him and Prince William.

"The Prince at that time found that rather difficult," he alleges. "He was a man of tradition. Members of the Royal Family are not very tactile. Diana was the complete opposite of this."

The BBC's former royal correspondent Jennie Bond explains that the King had a "stiff and rather distant upbringing", so it perhaps makes sense that his "own method" was "a little more distant". King Charles was only three when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne and she and Prince Philip went on an almost six-month Commonwealth Tour afterwards.

Her childhood friend Lady Anne Glenconner has previously said that the Queen was “marvellous” when she was home.

"Charles and Princess Anne were so small when she became Queen and she just had so much to do," Lady Glenconner claimed to OK! "In those days, it took ages to get to countries so she didn't have a great deal of time to be with her older two. When she was with them she was absolutely marvellous, but the Queen Mother looked after them a great deal."

Princess Diana had a very different, though aristocratic, upbringing and she was "tactile" in a way that Ken suggests the royals aren't usually. She was regularly pictured holding William and Harry in her arms, hugging them and holding them close.

Adapting to this "new" style might well have been "difficult" for someone raised as traditionally as King Charles. Diana loved treating her sons to trips to theme parks and the occasional McDonalds meal, giving them a more down-to-earth experience and insights into life outside the palace.

In the documentary, royal author Tom Quinn expresses his belief that "no way" Charles would have given his sons a bath, whilst "Diana did that kind of thing a bit more". However, he noted that she "still employed nannies".

If her parenting was a royal shake-up, then Diana and Charles's sons have taken this further. The Prince and Princess of Wales's children are very high up in the royal line of succession and they only have one nanny, Maria Teresa Borrallo, and she doesn't live-in.

William and Kate regularly do school drop-offs and pick-ups and it's been widely reported that when the kids were small, Carole Middleton would "turn up" at Kensington Palace to help with bath time and bedtime. Prince Harry and Meghan are equally hands-on with Archie and Lilibet and in an echo of Harry's childhood trips to theme parks, they recently took them to Disneyland.

Royal parenting has been forever changed and King Charles's experience of grandparenthood is likely very different. Jennie Bond has previously described his relationship with the Queen Mother as "magical" and thinks his "dearest wish" is to give all his grandchildren "a similar strong and loving relationship".

Prince Harry in Therapy airs at 9pm on Channel 5.

With a career in horticulture spanning 60 years, Alan Titchmarsh CBE is considered garden royalty. Still, it turns out he has a strong affiliation with real-life royalty thanks to his personal connection with King Charles.

In the most recent episode of the RHS Roots visual show, host Jo Whiley chats with the legendary gardener about his love of gardening. During the interview, Alan talks candidly about his passion for sustainability and the significant role King Charles played in his decision to support the organic gardening trend.

Alan Titchmarsh's love for organic gardening

Can I ask about your relationship with his majesty, the King?" Jo asks. "In terms of gardening, because I think he was very forward-thinking, wasn't he?"

Alan is quick to agree, saying: "He was, way back when everybody thought 'oh gosh', you know, it was called 'all muck and magic' in those days, organic gardening way back in the 60s. And then it gradually made sense, and he was showing me that he was a leader, someone with great foresight. I've been organic gardening myself for about 40 years now."

"The last time I used a fertiliser was a good many years ago now," Alan explains, on a lawn.

Thinking that he needed to weed and feed the grass to make it perfect, Alan recalls: "I put some moss killer on it and the moss went black and a Blackbird came down and was pulling a worm out to take back to the nest and feed its young, and I thought 'Oh, I can't do that'." And he hasn't looked back since.

Giving context to how he first met the King, Alan recalls: "I first met him 40 years ago now, I think it was in 1986, on a housing estate in Bracknell, I designed a couple of gardens that were accessible for people with mobility issues. They asked if I would be there because his majesty, his royal highness, as he was then, was coming to open the gardens."

Referring to their shared passion for organic, sustainable gardening and protecting the biodiversity of natural habitats, Jo adds: "You've worked together to spread the word."

"It's a common goal, absolutely a common goal," Alan agrees. "Singing from the same hymn sheet, which is great in terms of organic gardening, sustainability and responsibility. It's a love of nature."

Speaking of a shared goal, we'll see the duo reunited later today at the Chelsea Flower Show to unveil The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden. Championed by King Charles, who is a patron of the RHS and Royal Founding Patron of The King’s Foundation, and RHS Ambassador Alan, the garden will showcase sustainability front and centre to highlight their passion.

Alan's love of gardening is palpable. "My role in life, I feel, has always been to banish the mystery of gardening but not the magic. It's to show people the right plant, right place."

"My job really is to stop people worrying, and get them to look at the things that are doing well," says Alan. "So your advice to anybody who is gardening is 'don't stress,'" Jo asks.

"Yeah, don't get neurotic about it. Plants want to grow; it's up to us to get in the way. If you look at what you've got in terms of light or shade, dry well-drained soil or soggy soil. Is it an exposed part of the world that is very cold, or is it warm and find a plant that will suit those conditions – it will grow."

It was a state banquet fit for a king and the great and the good of American high society. Donald Trump was determined to show King Charles that the special relationship between the UK and USA was alive and kicking.

The guest list included golfer Rory McIlroy, Apple boss Tim Cook and the billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as well as several of Trump’s own family. What was the highlight of Charles and Camilla’s four-day visit to the United States only showed, in my opinion, once again the chasm that exists between the monarch and his second son.

It seems Harry and Meghan were flatly not invited, despite the fact they have now lived in America for the bulk of their married life. What more could symbolise the diplomatic ties between two nations better than a British royal and his Californian wife? How easy it would have been for them to hop on a private jet and join the glitterati paying homage to the royal guests?

Of course Trump has his own beef with the Sussexes and has mocked them on more than one occasion. But that would all be overlooked if the King was determined to see Harry during his journey across the Atlantic.

If some of the ice between father and son had thawed, Harry would surely have been warmly embraced by the event’s organisers. Away from the pomp and ceremony of the White House dinner, it would have once been unthinkable that His Majesty would visit America without making the effort to at least see his son privately.

After all, Charles has reportedly not seen Harry’s children Archie and Lilibet since the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

When Harry was growing up he was close to his father, famously joining him on a visit to South Africa in the wake of Diana’s tragic death.

What this latest failure to meet tells us is that the duke and duchess appear to remain on the outside as far as the Royal Family is concerned. I imagine that Charles feels he cannot bring his son back into the fold as things currently stand.

For his part, Harry seems to want to be seen as someone who has shrugged off the need to be endorsed by his family and continues to act like a royal without a portfolio.

His visits this year to Jordan, Australia and Ukraine were a sign he has no intention of obeying the late Queen’s insistence that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could not be half in, half out of the family. 'I will always be part of the Royal Family, and I’m here working and doing the very thing that I was born to do,' he said.

But is there any glimmer of hope things might change in the long term?

Palace sources are gloomy when it comes to Harry’s chances of being brought in from the cold. However, one source did reveal the King has made efforts behind the scenes to ease the distrust between father and son.

They said, 'Harry may have only had a brief face to face with His Majesty last year but there remains some kind of contact. This is not a healing of the relationship but the King is keen to try to find a way to start the long slow process of making things right with Harry.'

Charles, I’m sure, knows how damaging it is for the rift between Harry and in particular his brother William to linger on unresolved.

I am told that Charles and Harry have been in contact since last September’s brief encounter and there were even private talks about the prospect of Charles meeting Harry in private, away from the media spotlight, while he was in America.

A secret meeting would have been an ideal opportunity to move things forward. But that was always going to be tricky - it would have been a huge distraction and sadly a mile away from where their relationship is currently.

The communications between father and son have been strictly confidential but they may at least give Charles some glimmer of hope.

The source added, ‘The King sees the breakdown in relations between the Sussexes and the Prince and Princess of Wales as one of the most distressing aspects of his short reign. And what father wants to be estranged from his own son?’

As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the monarch is aware of the importance of forgiveness, and the optics of the ‘Megxit’ situation do not look good.

But for now - as their official visit to the States has demonstrated - the King and Queen are a long way from finding a breakthrough to heal the rift that has blighted the Royal Family for far too long.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Sir Rod Stewart was one of the esteemed guests who attended the King's Trust 50th anniversary celebrations on 11th May and he was full of praise for King Charles. However, he had less favourable things to say about another prominent public figure.

The rock legend decided to make his feelings about President Trump very plain to King Charles, resulting in a bit of an awkward moment for the King, who, naturally, played it off with panache.

As His Majesty greeted stars on the red carpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Sir Rod told him, "May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb; put that little ratbag in his place."

As per reports, the Maggie May singer even doubled down on his comments, telling Queen Camilla, "I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas - so great, so brave, so proud."

King Charles simply smiled and kept it moving, avoiding a potentially embarrassing encounter with Trump again in the future. After all, as the UK's Head of State the monarch has to remain politically neutral and negotiate delicate diplomatic situations.

For the King, the evening was a chance to celebrate the charity he first set up in 1976, using using £7,400 of his Royal Navy severance pay. Charles, who was at the time the Prince of Wales, established the Prince's Trust to to support community initiatives training, and employment opportunities for 11-to-30-year-olds.

Now, 50 years later, the King's Trust is one of the leading youth charities that has helped 1.3 million people - and counting. Whilst this milestone anniversary was the focus of the event, it's perhaps no surprise that Rod couldn't help but mention King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to the US.

It took place just a few weeks earlier and the trip was praised for strengthening the special relationship between the two nations after a rocky few months. Proving his talent for diplomacy, Charles’s visit smoothed things over sublimely.

He gifted Trump the original brass bell from the WWII-era Royal Navy submarine, HMS Trump. The thoughtful gift was inscribed ‘Trump 1944’ and was presented to the President during a state dinner.

Prompting a lot of laughter, when His Majesty presented the bell, he also quipped, “And should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring”.

While across the pond, His Majesty also gave a well-received speech to the US Congress, touching on topics such as NATO, Ukraine and the environment - receiving several standing ovations throughout. Afterwards, Trump spoke of the "tremendous privilege" it was to host the royal pair, praising Charles as a "very elegant man" and calling out the "unique bond" between the two nations.

He might have only been on the throne for three years so far but King Charles has already faced some incredibly tough challenges - from his cancer diagnosis in 2024 to stripping Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his title. His warring sons are also apparently weighing heavily on his mind and are causing him great distress.

In the latest issue of Woman magazine, a source claimed to royal author Duncan Larcombe, "The King sees the breakdown in relations between the Sussexes and the Prince and Princess of Wales as one of the most distressing aspects of his short reign."

Prince Harry himself has also previously revealed how the brothers' estrangement is hugely upsetting to King Charles.

In his memoir, Spare, he claimed the King urged them to put their differences aside in a tense meeting after Prince Philip's funeral, saying, "Please boys, don't make my final years a misery." It's understood that Harry and William haven't seen each other since a family funeral in 2024.

Meanwhile, the last time the Sussexes and Waleses - once nicknamed the Fab Four - were seen all together was at Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Both Harry and William are focusing on their own families and King Charles could perhaps never have imagined his sons' relationship ending up the way it has.

As a father this must be so difficult to handle, especially given how publicly everything has played out, with the Sussexes' Oprah Winfrey interview and Spare's release. In his memoir, Prince Harry reflected on Prince George's birth in 2013 and described the kind of hands-on uncle he wanted to be.

"I looked forward to popping in all the time. Look! It's Uncle Harry! 'Ello, Just thought I'd stop by. Holding a bottle of wine and an armful of kiddie presents. Dropping to the floor and wrestling with little George," he wrote.

Now George, Charlotte and Louis are growing up an ocean away and "popping in" to see them at Forest Lodge just isn't an option. A proper meeting would have to be arranged between the King's two sons and, according to royal author Christopher Andersen, the door is "shut" on a reconciliation from the Prince and Princess of Wales's point of view.

In Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen, he claims that Harry's "reckless remarks" after meeting with King Charles in 2024 were the final straw. The Duke of Sussex spoke about wanting to reconcile with his family as "life is precious" and he didn't "know how much longer [his] father [had]".

"Kate was more disappointed than angry," Andersen writes, adding, "But William, who had already slammed the door shut on his brother over what Harry wrote in Spare, was, in the words of a courtier, "apoplectic" with rage. Now it was time to nail the door shut once and for all".

The author alleges that "for the first time Kate, who had worked harder than anyone to mend the rift between the brothers" promised her husband that "now she, too, was done with Harry".

Maybe knowing that this won't change contributes to how "distressing" King Charles reportedly finds his sons' rift. As a father, wanting to bring them together again is only natural and he might still have hope that tensions will ease one day.

Read Duncan Larcombe's feature in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation on 6th May 2023 was a royal occasion the likes of which many people will not have witnessed before. From the regalia to the solemn oath made by the new monarch, this was a powerful moment and it's hard to believe we're three years on already.

The ceremony itself was a magnificent display and it was actually considerably shorter and more modest compared to Queen Elizabeth's in 1953. Even so, royal coronations have so many meaningful details and old traditions incorporated into them.

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King Charles will be busy on the third anniversary of his coronation as he's expected to be at the first Garden Party of 2026, but behind the scenes of this joyful occasion there is sadness. It's also Prince Archie's 7th birthday on 6th May and royal expert Duncan Larcombe believes that the King "regrets" how things have gone with the Sussexes.

"I think King Charles is full of regrets over the whole situation, he definitely wouldn't have wanted it to go this way," he claimed to The Mirror, reflecting that the monarch has "spoken about how much he enjoys being a grandparent".

King Charles last saw his grandson in person back in 2022 during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend. This was also the first time that he got to meet Princess Lilibet and reports have widely described the reunion as incredibly special for him.

"The [King and Queen] were absolutely thrilled to see them. He hadn't met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing," a source alleged at the time, adding that it was "very special" to see Archie again too.

Neither of Prince Harry and Meghan's children have been to the UK since then and King Charles's "regrets" could be on his mind as Archie celebrates his big day an ocean away. Milestones in the lives of his grandchildren will likely mean a lot to him and the King had an exceptionally close bond with his own grandmother, the Queen Mother.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has called their relationship "magical" and previously expressed her belief that he's trying to "replicate" this experience. In her view, Charles is "quite a soppy old thing" and "hugely values the time he has" to spend with his grandkids.

His closeness with his Wales grandchildren is clear every time they appear together, as we saw when he playfully greeted Prince Louis at the Easter Sunday service. Having such a special relationship with George, Charlotte and Louis might also remind the King even more of what he's missing out on with Archie and Lilibet.

It's such a sad situation and one that's always attracting speculation, especially after Prince Harry openly declared he'd love a "reconciliation" with his wider family. As the Sussexes aren't working royals, we won't see the Royal Family officially wishing Archie happy birthday on social media, though the Duchess of Sussex is likely to share a new photo on her Instagram.

King Charles will no doubt have sent a present to California, though, and royal expert and author Tom Quinn previously claimed to The Mirror that the King "wants to be an indulgent grandparent".

"Archie loves the idea that his grandad lives in a castle," he went on to explain, adding, "King Charles hasn't seen his grandson Archie since 2022 and Archie really misses him - many of Archie's books are about kings, princesses and castles and he knows enough to know that his grandfather lives in a castle."

In reality, King Charles lives at Clarence House in London most of the time - his own grandmother's old residence. Though he is expected to be at nearby Buckingham Palace, an altogether grander home, for the Garden Party as Prince Archie celebrates in the US.

Princess Eugenie has returned to Instagram to confirm the happy news that she and Jack Brooksbank are expecting their third baby together. The post included an adorable photo of the couple's sons August and Ernest holding an ultrasound picture and the Royal Family separately announced the pregnancy in a more formal way.

The Buckingham Palace statement seems fairly typical at first but I couldn't help noticing that it ended by declaring, "His Majesty The King has been informed and is delighted with the news."

Compare this to the announcement of Princess Beatrice's second pregnancy in 2024 and the difference is subtle but interesting - "His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news."

When Eugenie was pregnant with her second child in 2023, the Palace statement also said that "the family are delighted". Omitting any mention of the wider family in the 2026 statement is something I think was both deliberate and clever.

She and Beatrice have both been keeping incredibly low profiles for months now following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's dramatic fall from grace. Their father had his princely title stripped by King Charles last autumn and had to move from his Windsor home to the Sandringham estate.

Andrew was then arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office in February. He vehemently denies all allegations of wrongdoing, though the headlines keep on coming and his daughters have been dragged into the press coverage by association.

Neither of the Princesses attended the royals' Easter service and King Charles is said to have been the "one royal" fighting their corner in recent months. As the monarch he's the head of the family and he would, of course, be informed of his niece's pregnancy.

He's the only one referenced in the Buckingham Palace announcement and it reinforces their bond and how Eugenie is aligned with the Royal Family. It could also be helping to shield her and Jack from their happy news being turned into another avenue to discuss Andrew and Sarah.

Not referencing "both families" keeps attention on the proud parents and not the complex personal situation they're navigating right now. Princess Eugenie and Jack's third baby is due this summer and will be born 15th in the royal line of succession, though they won't be entitled to a Prince/Princess title.

Eugenie and Beatrice have kept their own Princess titles and they've not been accused of anything themselves. The Palace emphasised their status in the statement by referring to Eugenie by her full title: "Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie".

Again, this was a thoughtful choice that sends a message about where Eugenie and Beatrice stand with their uncle despite everything that's been happening. Since the palace announced Eugenie's pregnancy, I'd expect them to also release a statement when her third baby is born and it'll be interesting to see if "both families" are mentioned in that one…

King Charles has enough experience of giving speeches by now to have fine-tuned the elements needed - including a sprinkling of humour. He didn't overdo it when he gave a speech to the US Congress on 28th April and in amongst his powerful reflections about the current state of the world and UK/US relations, he also mentioned a strange royal tradition.

I'd totally forgotten this was a thing and to many people it could sound like an exaggeration or a myth, but King Charles confirmed that a "hostage" is still taken when he addresses Parliament.

"As you may know, when I address my own Parliament at Westminster, we still follow an age-old tradition and take a member of Parliament 'hostage', holding him or her at Buckingham Palace until I am safely returned," he told the room of US politicians.

The King explained that "these days" they look after this royal "guest" well, saying that they "often do not want to leave". He even jokingly asked the Speaker of the House "if there were any volunteers for that role here today?"

As with many unique royal customs, this one goes back hundreds of years to the reign of Charles I. He was famously executed in 1649 during the English Civil War and before this his relationship with his Parliament was tense - hence the hostage to ensure his own safety.

Nowadays the royal hostage-taking is purely symbolic. The person is usually the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, who is a Member of Parliament whose office makes them a member of the Royal Household too. They stay at Buckingham Palace until the ruling King or Queen returns after the State Opening of Parliament.

According to the UK Parliament website, this isn’t the only tradition started in the reign of Charles I that endures. Before the monarch arrives, the Yeomen of the Guard (ceremonial royal bodyguards) search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster for explosives.

It commemorates Guy Fawkes and his fellow Catholic conspirators’ plot in 1605 to blow up Charles I’s Protestant father King James I and the Houses of Parliament. The last State Opening of Parliament was in 2024.

King Charles has only attended two as monarch but has been at plenty more to support Queen Elizabeth when he was Prince of Wales. His speech to Congress shows he’s definitely inherited his late mother’s way with words and ability to convey a powerful message in a short period of time.

He referenced her in the address and noted we’re living in an era "that is, in many ways, more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which [Queen Elizabeth] spoke, in this Chamber, in 1991."

"From the bitter divisions of 250 years ago, we forged a friendship that has grown into one of the most consequential Alliances in human history," the King later remarked. "I pray with all my heart that our Alliance will continue to defend our shared values, with our partners in Europe and the Commonwealth, and across the world, and that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking."

The Princess of Wales has an impressive skillset but even she can't be good at everything and there's one hobby she's "terrible" at that her father-in-law also found difficult to master. King Charles ended up chatting about it to Olympic Gold Medal winning diver Tom Daley at a garden party on Day 1 of his State Visit to the US.

Tom is famously a knitting enthusiast and the King confessed that he tried it once "when he was eight". According to the diver, Charles told him he "wasn't very good" but apparently said "he might pick it back up" and knows it's "very good for mental health".

Kate has been equally open about her struggles with the hobby. Back in 2022 the Princess attended a rugby match in her role as Patron of the Rugby Football League and reportedly told volunteer Susan Hill, "I tried knitting once and I was terrible at it, so I'll have to come for lessons".

A few years earlier the future Queen also told a group of women during a visit to Glasgow that she'd tried to knit something special for Prince George when he was a baby. Perhaps this was her ne main attempt, as it didn't seem to have gone well…

"I've been trying to knit and I'm really bad. I should be asking for tips. I tried knitting when I first had George," she's said to have declared. "I tried to knit him a very special jumper, but I got halfway down and it splattered. It's such an amazing skill."

Like King Charles, she seems to wish she had mastered knitting and given what His Majesty said to Tom Daley at the White House garden party, perhaps he will end up giving it another go after all.

The Olympian and the monarch have crossed paths before and it was Charles who bestowed Tom's OBE for his services to diving LGBT+ rights and charity work. The pair also ended up "talking all things knitting" this time - as revealed by Tom in an Instagram post afterwards.

Whilst the King wasn't "very good" at this specific hobby, he's known for his love of painting which he inherited from his father Prince Philip. In 2022 he described it as "one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises [he] know[s]" at an exhibition of a selection of his artwork.

In a panel display for this he explained that he took up painting "entirely because I found photography less than satisfying".

King Charles added, "Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolor and to convey that almost 'inner' sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography."

His daughter-in-law is also artistic and we’ve seen glimpses of her work over the years, including the sketch of St Andrews she did in 2002 when she was at university. The Prince and Princess of Wales shared this on Instagram after they visited Scotland in 2021 and she’s also posted a drawing she did of Prince Louis as part of the Shaping Us framework.

The King's message on what would've been his "darling mama" Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday was every bit as emotional and reflective as you'd expect. Yet there was an underlying theme that really struck me and summed up the Queen as she was seen by the nation and across the world. It also showed how the example she set has been deeply taken to heart by King Charles and he's striving to uphold it.

"Queen Elizabeth's 'promise with destiny kept' shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people across our nation, the Commonwealth and beyond," he said early on in the pre-recorded message released on 21st April.

The King also used the phrase "promise with destiny" in his first address as monarch and uses it to describe his mother's dedication. It could also be seen as a nod to her life-changing literal promise on her 21st birthday in 1947.

At the time she was Princess Elizabeth with no idea that she would become Queen in just three years and she vowed to dedicate her "whole life whether it be long or short" to serving the Commonwealth. There were no stipulations, no references to "as best I can" - it was simply that.

Seeing King Charles mention this immediately reminded me of what broadcaster Kirsty Young said to close out the BBC's new documentary, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Story, Our Century. She was visibly emotional as she referenced the Queen's promise, declaring, "By God she was as good as her word wasn't she?"

Nothing ever swayed Queen Elizabeth from her promise and King Charles said in his message that "through each passing decade, through every transformation, she remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served".

Although he suspects that a lot about the times we're living in "may have troubled her deeply" he's taking heart from her belief that a "brighter dawn is never far from the horizon". He concluded his message by declaring, "I renew my own solemn pledge of duty and service to you all. God bless you, darling Mama; you remain forever in our hearts and prayers".

Having grown up with a mother who was steadfastly dedicated to her duty, King Charles is clearly focused on following her example. His renewal of his "own solemn pledge" echoes Queen Elizabeth's 21st birthday speech and reaffirms that he views the monarch's role as one of service.

Whilst some people across the world might look upon the royals as akin to celebrities in so many ways, the reality for King Charles and Queen Elizabeth before him couldn't have been more different. This really came across in King Charles's speech and perhaps more than it initially appeared on first listen.

Part of serving the nation is to do what he can to bring people together and he urged everyone "whatever our differences" to "seek to follow this example as we make today not the marking of a milestone felt by absence but the celebration of a life well-lived, and a legacy of hope, as we strive together towards a 'better, happier tomorrow'".

Although he suspects a lot about our current time "may have troubled her deeply", King Charles is taking comfort from his mother’s view. Queen Elizabeth thought that a "brighter dawn is never far from the horizon" and this optimistic belief likely also helped her through the challenging times she navigated in her decades of devoted service.

It’s been reported that King Charles isn’t happy with the Sussexes’ pseudo-royal engagements, including the recent visit to Jordan and their Australian tour.

The late Queen Elizabeth II made it clear that when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their royal duties for a new life in America, they couldn’t have their cake and eat it.

The couple were left in no doubt that they should not use their titles to trade off the royal brand. However, several years on, the Sussexes appear to be acting like royals once again, while focusing on promoting themselves as global philanthropists.

Sources at Buckingham Palace tell me that King Charles is 'very uneasy' about the way Harry and Meghan have blurred the lines between what is and isn’t official royal work.

A particular fear for His Majesty is their current visit Down Under. While there, Harry is due to deliver a keynote speech about mental health in the workplace, and a number of other engagements are planned.

So why is this of such concern to the King?

The Royal Diary of engagements is carefully managed, particularly when it comes to visits to Commonwealth countries, which are carried out at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The royals work as ambassadors, effectively providing the UK government with a trump card in its diplomatic work.

The fear is that Harry and Meghan are acting as though they’re making an official visit, when in fact they’re ploughing their own furrow.

As one senior source based at Buckingham Palace put it, 'Harry and Meghan are now acting outside the rules set down for them by Queen Elizabeth when they first chose to give up royal duties.

'They are not accountable, it seems, to anyone. They just simply do what they want, when they want to do it.'

'Royal visits are about the people and the public. In contrast, Harry and Meghan's engagements are all about them and their profile, and creating their own brand.'

The Australia visit is by no means devoid of potential headaches for King Charles, either. A large part of the Australian public are republicans, and even die-hard royal fans may not approve of the way Harry and Meghan appear to have cashed in on their status as royals.

The visit is full of potential stumbling blocks and there have already been signs that the Australian public don’t want to foot the bill for policing the visit. This is an issue that’s been simmering away for a number of years.

It’s been claimed that when Prince William becomes King, he may well strip his brother of the title of Prince. The precedent set by King Charles’ actions over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor means that Harry will have to tread carefully if he wishes to remain a member of the Royal Family.

King Charles's reported need to issue a warning may come as a surprise to many, who believe that he’s keen to see his wayward son back in his life, despite the allegations levelled against the Royal Family.

But my sources tell me that there have been conversations about where the lines are being crossed and why it is important that Harry, and indeed Meghan, stay in their 'lane'.

Given that the King rarely steps in, I think Harry will have to take it seriously.

My sources believe that King Charles and William feel very strongly that Harry and Meghan need to be reined in, and that their 'royal visits' could pose a possible problem for the rest of the family.

When Harry and Meghan quit royal life, it was assumed they would fade away into the background. Yet the opposite seems to have happened, with them not only courting publicity, but actively selling themselves on a global stage.

The couple have staff whose job it is to promote them, and in many ways they seem to have dropped their desire to find a 'normal life'. Harry in particular must find this difficult. He dreamed of enjoying a down-to-earth existence. But that hasn’t been the case as he and Meghan continue to plan visits, make headlines and appear to sell off their royal connections to the highest bidder.

The late Queen would be horrified by how this has all panned out, and it comes as no surprise that there are reports that the King would feel the need to intervene.

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

Sometimes royal duties overlap with personal anniversaries and this is confirmed to be the case for King Charles this April. He’s often been praised as a hands-on grandfather but he sadly isn’t going to be there for Princess Charlotte’s birthday this year. The Prince and Princess of Wales’s only daughter turns 11 on Saturday 2nd May and it’s just been announced that King Charles’s upcoming State Visit will end on this date.

US President Donald Trump previously suggested on social media that the King and Queen would be there from 27th-30th April and we always knew that after America, the King would spend a few days visiting Bermuda. Now these exact dates for the trip have been officially posted on the Royal Family’s Instagram.

There’s no way to know if Princess Charlotte’s 11th birthday plans would have included celebrating with her grandparents. However, the Waleses are all about special family moments and it’s still a little sad that there’s no possibility of King Charles joining her.

Fitting in a longer birthday video call or phone call with Charlotte could also potentially be tricky on the day depending on what engagements are scheduled and what time His Majesty has to board his plane home. He will surely do his best, though, and given his role there are always going to be times where things like this happen.

King Charles’s coronation fell on his grandson Prince Archie’s fourth birthday and the State Visit will also be over Prince William and Kate’s 15th wedding anniversary. Even Charles and Camilla’s own 20th wedding anniversary fell during a State Visit to Italy.

When duty calls, the monarch has to answer and his family will be very aware and understanding of this. Charles especially dotes on his grandchildren and we saw an adorable interaction between him and Prince Louis over Easter when he playfully patted his grandson on either the cheek or shoulder (it’s hard to tell from pictures!).

In the past, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond has expressed her belief that His Majesty’s close relationship with the Queen Mother has inspired him.

"When you’ve had a wonderful experience in life, it’s natural to want to replicate it for your children and grandchildren," she told OK!. "Charles had a magical relationship with his grandmother, the Queen Mother."

Jennie thinks the King is "quite a soppy old thing really" and "hugely values the time he has available" to spend with his grandkids. Whilst he’ll still be away on Charlotte’s birthday this year, William and Kate will no doubt have plans to make it special for her.

The royals typically mark their birthdays privately and the Princess of Wales famously stays up til midnight with "ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing" baking creations for her kids. But the Wales children also traditionally get a birthday post shared publicly on social media, usually featuring a new photo.

Last year’s snap of Princess Charlotte was taken by Kate and showed her sitting on a mountainside in Cumbria wearing a backpack and a leaf-print jacket.

The King famously champions nature whenever and wherever possible, but he reportedly doesn’t even like being in the same room as a particular animal. Rather unfortunately, his late aunt Princess Margaret apparently kick-started this "aversion" when she gifted Charles one.

In his book, Pets by Royal Appointment, royal biographer Brian Hoey previously claimed that Margaret gave her nephew a "kitten as a present when he was a child and he disliked it on sight". This initial reaction didn’t change, with the author adding that "since then, [the King] has developed an aversion to everything feline".

He "says he cannot even stand having one in the same room" Hoey continued, as per Hello!, and this revelation might come as a surprise to some. After all, His Majesty is a big advocate for wildlife, but many people are either "dog people" or "cat people" and outdoor cats can also have an impact on local bird and small mammal populations.

The Royal Family in general are famously dog-lovers and King Charles has owned several himself, including a Labrador called Harvey who appeared in pictures of him and Princess Diana holidaying at Balmoral. He and Queen Camilla currently have two Jack Russells, Bluebell and Moley, and a Lagotto Romagnolo called Snuff.

The Waleses, Edinburghs, the Tindalls and Princess Anne all have dogs as well. Even if they don’t share King Charles’s apparent "aversion" to cats, it seems that they’re not interested in owning felines but their homes wouldn’t be the same without a dog.

Queen Elizabeth will forever be associated with corgis in people’s minds and she got her first one, Susan, as an 18th birthday gift. Perhaps this inspired Princess Margaret’s decision to give Charles a kitten years later, although the Queen was clearly a lot more in love with her present and she later received two more pets as gifts.

She welcomed corgi puppies Muick and Fergus to the family in 2021 and when Fergus sadly passed away, she was then gifted Sandy. These pampered royal pooches are said to have had their own room at Buckingham Palace to sleep in, complete with wicker baskets lined with cushions to keep out any chilly drafts.

In contrast, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s dog Orla is used to sleeping on the bed with them at their house. The future King spoke with another dog owner during a visit to Duchy College Stoke Climsland in July last year and she told Hits Radio Cornwall, "[He] said that his little dog sleeps on the bed with them at night, with him and Kate."

Whether this is still the case now they’ve got another canine companion isn’t clear, as the Princess confirmed in February that they had an eight month old puppy too. She didn’t specify it, but it’s widely thought that this dog is one of Orla’s litter from 2025.

Orla and her babies featured in Prince William’s birthday photo and he looked totally besotted with them so they could’ve kept one puppy. Growing up in a family surrounded by dogs, it’s unsurprising that the Prince of Wales hasn’t been tempted to add a cat to the mix when they were considering a new pet though.

Queen Elizabeth had plenty of iconic moments throughout her 70 year reign but there are some that stick with you more than others and her final balcony appearance is one of these. She last took to the Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of her Platinum Jubilee weekend in June 2022, a few months before she passed away.

The Queen was visibly moved looking out at the cheering crowds and we apparently might never have got this moment had it not been for King Charles. In his newly-released biography, Elizabeth II, author Robert Hardman suggests that Queen Elizabeth had been happy to watch the Platinum Pageant on TV but Charles thought plans should change.

"Once again, the Queen was watching on television at Windsor until the Prince of Wales felt that she really had to be part of it," he claims.

Hardman adds that the Queen’s private secretary Sir Edward Young "sped down to Windsor to press the point in person". Her Majesty was persuaded to make the trip to London and before long the "Royal Standard suddenly appeared on the flagpole" above Buckingham Palace.

The monarch is said to have "arrived through the back gate" and she went out onto the balcony where she’d stood so many times before, wearing green and "unaided but for her stick". She was accompanied by King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Wales family.

"Poor weather late in the day had ruled out the usual flypast by the Red Arrows. But no matter. On this occasion, the Queen herself had been the grand finale," Hardman writes.

There had been uncertainty over whether we could see Queen Elizabeth on the balcony more than once during the jubilee weekend. Though there’s no way the nation could’ve known how last minute the change of plans was - or how King Charles helped persuade her to make this balcony appearance which turned out to be her last.

"The Queen was totally overwhelmed by the number of people waiting to see her - she had tears in her eyes before she stepped out on the balcony," a source alleged at the time.

Throughout her reign Queen Elizabeth mostly took a "the more, the merrier" approach to balcony appearances, including not only her immediate family but her cousins and their children and grandchildren too. Nowadays this would be unthinkable and the Queen sent a powerful message with her pared-back selection of royals in June 2022.

Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales helped with this and though you might not have noticed, the pair stood back at a certain point with Charlotte and Louis. This left only the monarch and her three direct heirs in the royal line of succession together.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl discussed this on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, claiming, "If you’re going to take one image away from the weekend, it has to be (this one). A Jubilee isn't just a moment to reflect on the 70 years, but to look forward to the future."

All things considered, King Charles had a point when he felt his mother should be part of things. She clearly realised it too and her final balcony appearance of the hundreds she’d made during her lifetime remains a significant royal moment to this day.

As head of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth didn’t attend King Charles and Queen Camilla’s civil wedding ceremony in 2005 but she still found a special way to signal her "approval" for their marriage. The couple tied the knot at Windsor Guildhall on 9th April and had a service of blessing at St George’s Chapel, which she was at.

The Queen hosted a reception afterwards at Windsor Castle and it’s here that she "could be the proud mother" and "showed it by breaking convention" according to royal biographer Robert Hardman. In his new book, Queen Elizabeth II, he reflects that "instead of the usual speech from the father of the bride, guests would hear from the mother of the groom".

"Many of the guests were not expecting it at all. Someone just tapped a glass and there was the Queen talking," he quotes one of the Household involved.

"It was her idea. She’d decided she could not go to the civil wedding but, having navigated all the official problems, this was her informal way of showing approval and marking the occasion."

The source adds that the late monarch "came out with every racing metaphor in the book", including the proclamation that King Charles and Queen Camilla had now "reached the winners’ enclosure". Their wedding date coincided with the Grand National that year and as a horse racing fan, Elizabeth’s turn of phrase gave her speech a personal feel.

This surprising way of giving her son’s second marriage her seal of "approval" sounds so touching and she arguably played a huge role in introducing the idea of ‘Queen’ Camilla to the world and having it accepted by the public.

Before then, she had been set to be known as "Princess Consort" when Charles became King. She also never went by "Princess of Wales", despite being entitled to do so. Both decisions were made out of respect to Diana, Princess of Wales and the public’s enduring devotion to her.

Then, out of the blue, Queen Elizabeth made a decisive move the day before the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. In a message to the nation she gave her blessing for her daughter-in-law to be known as "Queen Consort" instead of "Princess".

"When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," she declared.

Queen Elizabeth’s "sincere wish" helped pave the way for the public to accept the change and after being known formally as the Queen Consort for many months, Her Majesty is now simply known as Queen Camilla.

She and King Charles are celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary this year and although the date is now likely tinged with some sadness (it is also the anniversary of Prince Philip’s death), they have so many special memories to reminisce about, not least the wedding itself and that "informal" speech!

Easter Sunday is a special time for many, and this year, royal fans had extra reason to celebrate - Kate Middleton and her family marked their return to the fold after a two-year absence (missing the service in 2024 and 2025 amid Kate’s cancer treatment).

Dressed in an elegant beige ensemble from Self Portrait - an outfit Kate had previously worn in 2022 during an engagement with Princess Anne - the Princess of Wales was all smiles returning for the service, accompanied by Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Clearly just as thrilled at their return as royal fans will be, King Charles greeted Louis with the sweetest gesture that delighted fans and nodded at Charles's reputation as a very hands-on, present grandparent.

As His Majesty approached the chapel, he couldn’t resist a playful pat on Louis’s shoulder - a very comforting gesture that perhaps wouldn’t strike anyone as particularly notable, except this is the Royal Family we are talking about.

Louis was all smiles after the exchange, dressed sharply in a navy suit with a pale blue tie that perfectly matched his older brother, Prince George.

The King dropping any sense of airs and graces to greet his grandchildren with a warm gesture offers a look at how he is prioritising his role as a grandfather first.

Louis and Charles’ adorable relationship is well known, with adorable moments between the duo often proving to be a highlight of royal events.

At 2025’s Trooping the Colour, the King was all smiles, laughing and pointing away at Louis’s antics on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as the youngster was earnestly copying his grandfather’s actions and taking his lead.

Fans will also remember the adorable scenes from the 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations when Louis just had to sit on his grandfather’s knee - it didn’t matter that, at the time, Charles was the heir apparent, celebrating a historic milestone for both his family and his country. He was still happy to be on grandpa duties for the youngster.

This approach to grandparenting is something that the King’s nearest and dearest have praised over the years.

Previously, for the documentary, Prince, Son & Heir: Charles at 70, Queen Camilla shared how Charles is not afraid to act silly for the grandchildren.

"He will get down on his knees and crawl about with them for hours, you know making funny noises and laughing and my Grandchildren adore him, absolutely adore him."

Queen Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, has also previously told People how "wonderful" Charles has been.

Tom said, "He has been a wonderful step-grandfather. He has his own grandchildren, obviously. The children utterly adore him. From an early age, he’s read them stories, been there, and swung them around."

It was a strong, united showing of the family following a tough few months with the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were, perhaps understandably, not at the service, choosing to remain low-key and out of the public eye for now. Duchess Sophie and Lady Louise Windsor were also not present.

However, the likes of Princess Anne, Prince Edward and James, Earl of Wessex, Peter Phillips and his bride-to-be, Harriet Sperling, and Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margaret’s daughter were all in attendance.

The happy family times will continue for the royals after their service. It’s understood that the family enjoy a longstanding tradition of coming together for a four-course roast dinner and luxurious chocolate eggs after church.

On the day Queen Elizabeth passed away in 2022 the world looked on as her nearest and dearest made the trip north to Balmoral to her bedside. King Charles is understood to have called Princes William and Harry and asked them to head to Northolt Airport to travel to Scotland.

However, according to Tom Bower’s biography, Betrayal, Meghan’s plan to accompany her husband was deemed "unacceptable" by Charles. So much so that he allegedly phoned Harry again, unable to stop thinking about the Queen’s "disappointment".

"When Charles heard that Meghan intended to come, he called Harry. That was unacceptable, said Charles," Bower claims, adding, "Underlying Charles’s anger that fateful morning was his mother’s disappointment that the Sussexes had attacked the very institution which gave them so much."

The royal biographer suggests that "since Meghan had refused the Queen’s invitations to Balmoral" extended during Her Majesty’s lifetime, she was apparently "unwelcome at her death".

"Sharing his grief with Meghan, who maligned the monarchy, was unthinkable, said Charles. He believed that, to her dying day, his mother was shocked by Harry’s disloyalty," adds Bower.

The Sussexes’ spokesperson has already responded to the release of Bower’s biography, stating that the claims are "deranged conspiracy and melodrama" and that the author has "long crossed the line from criticism into fixation". Nonetheless, in his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry also describes the call with King Charles over Meghan’s intention to come to Balmoral with him.

He remarks that his father started to explain his reasons for the Duchess staying behind "but they didn’t make any sense at all" and were "disrespectful". It was also revealed to him that the Princess of Wales would not be coming, so Meghan wouldn’t be the only royal wife absent.

In Kate’s case, royal expert Russell Myers claims in William & Catherine that she stayed behind in Windsor to be there when Prince George, Charlotte and Louis got home from their first day at their new school and to tell them the sad news.

The King’s supposed "anger" that day the Queen died perhaps makes sense given how much scrutiny the royals had been under in general since Harry and Meghan’s departure and Oprah Winfrey interview. The prospect of losing his beloved mother likely only increased the sense of pressure and reflectiveness.

It’s thought that Meghan has still never been to Balmoral and there are various reasons why she and Harry might not have gone during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, including the distance after they relocated to the US. She attended the Queen’s funeral and has always been full of admiration when she talks about her husband’s grandmother.

"There’s been such an outpouring of love and support," Meghan said to Variety a month after the Queen’s death. "I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time."

"Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her," the Duchess declared.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are headed across the pond this April following speculation over whether a US State Visit would go ahead. This will be the first trip of its kind by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth’s tour in 2007 and President Donald Trump has described it as a "momentous occasion".

The announcement has already attracted considerable attention and scrutiny, with some calling for it to be postponed amid the Middle East conflict. Global events will of course loom large and provoke plenty of discussions, but I can’t help feeling that the State Visit could be overshadowed by a rather important family moment too.

Charles and Camilla will be in the US from 27th-30th April and the penultimate day of the trip is the Prince and Princess of Wales’s 15th wedding anniversary.

It’s hard to imagine this milestone not dominating royal headlines or going unacknowledged. Prince William and Kate marked their 10th anniversary by releasing a new set of official pictures taken by photographer Chris Floyd. They also shared a special video by Will Warr featuring clips of them, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis spending time on the beach in Norfolk.

We even got to see a brief glimpse of what looked to be their first dog, Lupo, who sadly passed away the November before. This shows exactly how far in advance the royals work with these kinds of posts and since 15 years is even more of a big deal than 10, it would be a shock if William and Kate decided to let their 2026 anniversary pass quietly.

As soon as their posts drop on or around the 29th April, fans will be rushing to see. I can imagine it capturing people’s attention and perhaps inadvertently drawing it away from King Charles and Queen Camilla's engagements in America.

In her controversial Panorama interview, Princess Diana talked about how much media attention she got during her and Charles’s time in Australia, claiming that this came with "a lot of jealousy" and that "complicated situations arose because of that".

Even though they’re a family, hierarchy is important to the royals. The Prince and Princess of Wales are always respectful of this in many ways - for example, we rarely see Kate wearing the same colour as Camilla, which would spark inevitable comparison.

They could potentially try and release any anniversary pictures at a time that minimises any clashes with Their Majesties’ engagements. The time difference and the popularity of the Waleses and their love story might make things tricky though.

If they didn’t release anything at all, that would probably be even more newsworthy too. So, really, there’s no way that the anniversary won’t end up being talked about during the State Visit whatever they do.

The full itinerary for the State Visit hasn’t been released yet and it was the President and not Buckingham Palace who announced the specific dates on social media. He did reveal that the traditional State Banquet will be held on the evening of the 28th, so at least that grand occasion won’t coincide with the Waleses’ wedding anniversary.

The US marks its 250th anniversary of independence this year and we know already that will be a significant focus. Buckingham Palace stated the trip will "celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship" between the UK and US.

Prince Harry might have been back to the UK on multiple occasions in recent years, but the entire Sussex family haven’t set foot on British soil since 2022. Every rumour of a potential trip across the pond with Archie and Lilibet has come to nothing so far. However, this could all change in 2026 and I’m cautiously optimistic this time…

A friend of the Duke of Sussex has suggested that Harry would "love" an invitation to bring the family over this summer. Speaking to The Times, they claimed, "If he was invited by the King, he would get a package of security that automatically kicks in. He’d like an invite to Sandringham. Would he go? It would depend who was there."

"If the King was to say, ‘Come up and spend some time with the family’, he’d love that," they said.

One specific detail in this report makes me think that this might actually be possible - or at least the closest we’ve come to a trip happening. The King usually spends a lot of time in Scotland over the summer and hosts plenty of family members.

Sandringham House is not only nearer to London, where Harry, Meghan and Archie and Lilibet would probably fly into, but might also be a quieter venue for a family reunion. As the friend stated, for Harry it "would depend who was there" and perhaps a gathering could be smaller if King Charles invited the Sussexes to Norfolk instead.

It would put less pressure on things and although Prince Harry said last year he’d love a reconciliation with his "family", it’s only King Charles that he’s known to have met face-to-face with recently. He and Prince William last crossed paths at a family funeral in August 2024 and it’s believed Lilibet has still never met her Wales cousins.

The brothers didn’t see each other during Harry’s trip to the UK in September when the Prince and King had a "private tea" at Clarence House together. William, Kate and their children often go to Scotland in the summer and there’s been nothing to suggest the Prince of Wales is looking for a reconciliation right now.

A potential separate gathering at Sandringham for the Sussexes and whoever they feel most comfortable seeing might be a good way of encouraging a visit. Princess Lilibet, who will turn four this June, has only been to her father’s home country once since she was born.

The Sussexes returned as a family in 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee weekend and she met King Charles and great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth for the first time.

A source described the moment between the King and Princess as "very emotional" and added that His Majesty was "absolutely thrilled" by their visit. Regardless of what’s gone on between the Sussexes and the royals in recent years, they are, after all, a family and Harry seems to want Archie and Lilibet to connect with their UK relatives.

"He's not given up hope on bringing his family back to the UK," a source alleged to The Sunday Times last year. "He wants to be able to show his children where he grew up. He wants them to know their family here."

Whether an invite will be forthcoming remains unclear right now. For once, I can fully believe that Harry and Meghan will consider accepting if King Charles does issue one - and it will be momentous if they come this summer.

Looking back at Queen Elizabeth’s 70 year reign there were so many times where her dry sense of humour transformed a small interaction into an iconic moment. One of my personal favourites came in 2021 when she visited The Eden Project and let’s just say I couldn’t help feeling a sense of déjà vu when King Charles and Queen Camilla were there on 24th March.

The couple marked the project’s 25th anniversary and, like with all parties, a celebration wouldn’t be a celebration without a commemorative cake. Cue some pretty dramatic cake-cutting from Their Majesties that was almost a direct parallel of Queen Elizabeth’s years earlier.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall handed his sword to Charles and Camilla and the couple couldn’t contain their giggles as they struggled to slice the cake. Pictures show them working hard to get the blade through the sponge, which was decorated like a street party.

They eventually succeeded and afterwards whilst the crowd applauded, the King jokingly gestured like he was stabbing the cake with the sword. Swords are not conventional cake-cutting implements, though they’re often used ceremonially by the royals for occasions like this.

It’s likely there would’ve been a knife on hand just in case and King Charles and Queen Camilla might not have even been anticipating being handed the sword. Queen Elizabeth on the other hand insisted on using Colonel Edward Bolitho’s sword when she visited The Eden Project.

Watched by Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales, the late Queen excitedly plunged the Lord Lieutenant’s sword into the cake, as an aide said, "There is a knife."

"I know there is!" she responded quickly. "This is more unusual".

Unusual it is - and perhaps not super efficient - but it’s so funny to see King Charles and Queen Camilla essentially recreating Queen Elizabeth’s moment five years on. She was there for The Big Lunch initiative and so were Their Majesties in 2026.

The couple joined a celebratory Big Lunch where they met volunteers and supporters who’ll be sharing food, friendship and helping out ahead of the Big Lunch and Big Help Out weekend from 5th-8th June. They possibly thought back to Queen Elizabeth’s sword moment as they had their own during the visit and this wasn’t the only time a cake sparked a quip from her.

In February 2022 she attended a Platinum Jubilee tea party and was presented with an iced cake with the jubilee logo on it. The Queen was informed that it was "upside down" so that the letters were readable for the press.

"Oh, they can see it!" she exclaimed dryly. "I don’t matter!"

When it came to cutting the cake, the Queen used a large knife and after getting it into the centre and saying, "It fits in beautifully", she remarked, "Somebody else can finish it off, do the rest of it."

It seems there’s never a dull moment with the royals and cake-cutting, and even for them Queen Elizabeth’s Cornwall moment is pretty memorable. Queen Camilla mentioned it in July 2021, joking, “I won’t have your sword!” as she used a knife to cut a gateau for the 10 year anniversary of the Prince's Countryside fund.

The Royal Family's way of working has changed rather significantly in the past few years. King Charles respects his mother Queen Elizabeth’s legacy, but is determined to do things his own way - and this couldn’t have been clearer on his coronation day.

Getty Images photographer Chris Jackson has been capturing shots of the royals for over 20 years and he’s opened up to Vanity Fair about the iconic King Charles photo that showcased a big "change". The image is on the cover of his new book, Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family Today and it shows King Charles and Queen Camilla in their regalia.

"Capturing that moment from behind the royal couple on the balcony of Buckingham Palace was something that would never have been allowed during Queen Elizabeth’s reign. It signalled a change," the veteran photographer said.

The picture was taken behind-the-scenes on Coronation Day and really showcased the magnitude of the situation. You can see the crowds of people gathered around the Victoria Memorial and off into the distance and Chris’ picture puts you in the King and Queen’s shoes, seeing things from their unique perspective.

It’s far less traditional than the kinds of pictures that were taken of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation back in 1953.

Commenting on how things are different now, the photographer explained, "We all remember Queen Elizabeth II, an iconic figure who was revered and respected around the world, and someone I always thoroughly enjoyed photographing. But since King Charles became King, I have noticed a significant change in the way things are done."

In his view, His Majesty has "approached aspects of the role differently" to his mother - "diversifying and modernising".

Chris Jackson wanted to represent this in the title of his photographic book, adding that it "encapsulates how the Royal Family is moving forward, honoring tradition while adopting a more open and modern approach."

The backstage picture of King Charles and Queen Camilla also shows this and the monarch also signalled his "change" in approach in the details of the coronation ceremony itself. He cut down the run-time from three hours when Queen Elizabeth was crowned, to just one hour.

Peers didn’t wear their traditional coronets indicating their rank and the dress-code was much less formal too. King Charles’s coronation also included representatives from other faiths besides the Church of England, who took part in the service.

"Charles III is a man who believes in evolution, not revolution, cares about the common good and will seek to heal, not divide," former British Prime Minister Sir John Major previously told Country Life. "During troubled and uncertain times, we are fortunate to have such a monarch."

This focus on change isn’t likely to slow down in the future either. Prince William said in Our Queen at Ninety that this is something Queen Elizabeth always encouraged.

"She is always on hand for advice and support, and it's as much about doing it [royal duties] our own way as it is about getting it right," he declared. "She likes that we have our own style. It's a new generation, and there's no point in everyone doing it the same way. It's the modernisation of the Royal Family that keeps it interesting and relevant."

I do feel for King Charles. Prince Harry is bringing his Invictus Games to Birmingham in July next year and will invite his father to attend. There’s even some suggestion Harry will ask the King to open the eight-day Paralympic-style games for service personnel.

As head of state and head of the UK armed forces it makes perfect sense.

As Harry’s father, now on seemingly better terms with his younger son, it marks another potential step on the road to reconciliation after the very public family pain and blood-letting of Oprah, the Netflix documentary and Spare.

I’m told by a close Sussex source that the pair 'speak regularly' and that ‘Harry often rings his dad’.

But while it appears the King has softened in his attitude to the Duke of Sussex and would like to see his grandchildren, Prince William’s position has not changed.

He hasn’t spoken to his brother for a long time - I’m told that texts and emails go unanswered, there is no communication with his Kensington Palace office and both sides now accept the stalemate. It is officially 'no speaks'.

Moreover, the Prince of Wales is not keen on the King being seen to give Harry any kind of formal public legitimacy back in the UK.

Were he to appear onstage in Birmingham with his 'darling boy', opening what is Harry’s defining legacy on its return to the UK, it would certainly be a PR coup for Team Sussex (it rather reminds me of the ‘King in the North’ storyline in Game of Thrones - although as a proud Brummie I’d never say we’re the North!).

This then sets up a very difficult decision for the King. Whose side does he take between his warring sons?

For this is both a personal and very political decision. And it encapsulates one of the enduring problems of the King’s reign - how to deal with Harry.

Taking Harry’s 'side' means effectively welcoming his wayward younger son back into the royal fold. The Duke of Sussex may not be a working royal, having ejected himself so vehemently, but most people will not make that distinction if pictures of the pair side by side are beamed around the world.

It’s one thing inviting Harry to a private tea at Clarence House as the King did last autumn - a meeting I’m told that was set up by the two men themselves, not their aides.

But it’s quite another to give Harry such a show of public support after the poisonous brickbats he’s hurled against both the institution and his family. For much of the British public, it will be the fact that Harry has spent years monetising those attacks on the institution his father embodies that will have gone down so badly.

And thus Prince William understands that for the monarchy’s preservation Harry must be kept at arm’s length. It’s a clean break - you’re either in or you’re out (as the late Queen so perceptively dictated).

Moreover, every time the King either sees Harry, or lets it be known that he won’t (as he did earlier this year when Harry was in London for his court case against the Daily Mail) a flurry of briefings ensue.

Either from the Duke’s aides who tell me, 'Obviously the institution doesn’t want him to make up with his father. It makes it more difficult for them.' Or from Harry himself, who recently implied his father’s courtiers were trying to 'sabotage' their relationship.

Certainly those whose job it is to protect the institution fear the King’s potential reconciliation with his younger son makes him look weak after Harry’s repeated public lashing-out.

Friends of William are concerned that Charles is yet again allowing Harry and Meghan to set the narrative.

They say it’s unlikely that the Prince of Wales will ever reconcile with his younger brother, particularly given Harry’s refusal to apologise for his repeated slurs against the family, including accusation of racism.

If the King were to open the Invictus Games, he, in effect, would be choosing Harry’s side after previously indicating a tougher stance when he refused to meet Harry for 19 months before last September.

Yet picking William’s 'side' and not showing up to Brum next year would be hugely disrespectful to the valour and self-sacrifice of the UK’s armed forces, not to mention the amazing resilience and spirit of the Invictus Games.

Fortunately, I may have found the King a get-out. The games run from 10 to 17 July and it is Queen Camilla’s 80th birthday on 17 July. Perhaps they can both be away on a celebratory cruise that week…

This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.

The Prince of Wales speaks nothing but praise about King Charles and it’s been suggested that after having a "complex" bond in William’s early years, the royal father and son reached a "turning point" in their relationship over a decade ago. In William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, royal expert Russell Myers reveals that sources close to the Prince believe the moment he "began to grow his own family" as a huge influence.

"While William’s bond with his father throughout his childhood and adolescence may be described as complex, those close to him will relay that as both men have matured it has evolved into one founded on mutual respect and understanding," Russell claims.

According to him, "William has developed a sincere appreciation and understanding of the demands that Charles felt as a parent in a troubled marriage, and as a single parent under intense circumstances."

It seems that becoming a parent himself gave the Prince of Wales a different, more sympathetic perspective on what King Charles faced as someone who was a father and first in the royal line of succession. Throughout his marriage and divorce from Princess Diana, he was under a lot of scrutiny and pressure.

Whilst His Majesty might not have had the space and time to be the kind of parent Prince William is, he ensured his son could focus on his family before embracing full-time royal life. Russell writes, "William also recognises how his father allowed him, with the late Queen’s blessing, to seek a life outside of the institution for longer than he had been permitted himself."

The Prince of Wales apparently has a "growing appreciation" of the issues King Charles has "had to deal with in his life" and values his "love and guidance throughout his darkest times".

Becoming a dad has seemingly changed William and Charles’s bond for the better, as it’s shown the Prince exactly how tough parenting as the heir to the throne can be. Seeing things from the other side can be enlightening and Prince William has been very open about how he and Kate focus on balancing royal duties and family life.

Asked by Eugene Levy on Apple TV+’s The Reluctant Traveler if his job is 9-5, he replied, "It doesn’t quite work like that. But I do try to stick to school timetables as much as possible, so most days we’re in and out of school doing drop offs and pick ups. Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important."

Intriguingly, the future King also touched upon his own childhood in a very measured way, acknowledging both the "warmth" of it, and the impact of his parents’ divorce.

"I think it’s really important that that atmosphere is created at home, you have to have that feeling of warmth, security, love that all has to be there," he explained. "And that was certainly part of my childhood. My parents got divorced at 8, so that lasted a short period of time but you take that and you learn from it, and you try not to do the same mistakes as your parents."

Thanks to King Charles and Queen Elizabeth, the Prince and Princess of Wales have more time to devote to Prince George, Charlotte and Louis and can prioritise creating that "relatively normal" home life for them. It could be said that the "turning point" has helped not only King Charles and William, but the next generation too.

It's no surprise that many people have a fascination with how members of the Royal Family live day to day, though what might shock people is just how relatable their lives can often be behind closed doors. Of course, this isn't the case with every aspect, but King Charles's former royal gardener has revealed the kinds of affordable houseplants the monarch has at his Highgrove House residence.

Highgrove House is King Charles’s Gloucestershire estate and it's where Jack Stooks used to work for over two decades. In a recent appearance on ITV's This Morning, Jack revealed that His Majesty always liked to keep scented geraniums in the royal residence.

Jack was asked by Ben Shephard and Alison Hammond just what sort of houseplants the King likes, to which he explained, "Scented geraniums are always a good one… the nice flowering pelargoniums that we always had cuttings of that you could take cuttings of so they continue to keep on giving."

"When [King Charles] wasn't there, they were in the glass house, and when he was there, they were taken back up to the house," he added.

Geraniums, also known as pelargoniums, are flowering plants that come in a wide variety of colours, including white, pink, red, orange and mauve, with some double varieties. When indoors, they are best kept on a sunny windowsill or in a heated conservatory, where they can flower year-round. Their scented leaves can smell of rose, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, orange, balsam or apple.

On his social media page, @theroyalgardenerofficial, Jack has also previously illustrated how pelargoniums in a window box are a perfect way to achieve a lovely display even if you don’t have much garden space - a clever idea for those living in flats or looking for the best flowers for smaller spaces.

Also on his Instagram, Jack has shared more insight into the types of flowers that would be found at Highgrove. In one post, he explained how a purple Dahlia was always used in the main pot at the front of the house at Highgrove.

"The King loved this dahlia, and [spring] is the time to get those dahlias in pots and bringing them on for this summer," he declared in the caption.

The King's love of nature and being outdoors makes Highgrove House a perfect fit for his private countryside residence. His primary home is Clarence House in London, but King Charles is known to still spend a lot of time in Gloucestershire and we got some lovely glimpses of the estate in his recent Amazon Prime Video documentary, Finding Harmony: A King's Vision

He and Queen Camilla's shared passion for British flowers in particular was also celebrated with the design of their coronation invitation. Her Bruce Oldfield dress for the occasion was meticulously embroidered with the floral emblems of the UK, as well as wildflowers like daisy chains, forget-me-nots, scarlet pimpernel and celandine.

Parenting is never easy, never mind parenting as part of one of the oldest and most scrutinised royal families. Reflecting on how Queen Elizabeth approached this with her four children, royal historian David Cannadine has claimed that "guilt" could have been a factor for her younger sons Andrew and Edward.

Writing in his book, Queen Elizabeth II: A Concise Biography of an Exceptional Sovereign, David claimed, "The Queen indulged her two younger sons [Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Edward] too much". He also suggested that this could have been a result of King Charles’s "complaints that his parents had been too distant".

It's not unexpected that Charles might have experienced a different style of parenting. He and Princess Anne were only two years apart, born in 1948 and 1950 respectively. Their younger siblings have a much wider gap, though. The King is 12 years older than Andrew, who was born in 1960, and 16 years older than Prince Edward, born in 1964.

Some of King Charles's reported issues with his parents included sending him off to Gordonstoun, a private school in Scotland, and they were explored in an authorised book. In The Prince of Wales: A Biography, author Jonathan Dimbleby had the co-operation of the now King, and The Independent reports that the book made claims that Charles’s parents were "emotionally distant".

In Ingrid Seward’s book, My Mother and I, the royal author explored the relationship between the two monarchs, the late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles, and she revisited claims made in Dimbleby's authorised biography.

Speaking of how the Queen and Prince Philip reacted to their son’s claims at the time of the book’s release, Ingrid Seward appeared on A Right Royal Podcast and suggested the late Queen was "very upset" by them.

As reported by Good To Know, Ingrid said, "When that book came out, I think that the Queen and Prince were on a tour of Russia, which is really an important tour. And they were very upset. They were very upset about the way Charles described their parenting."

She added, "Even people that were onside with the Queen and Prince Philip said that they never hugged their children in public. And it was very distant, because the Queen was not brought up to be an emotional person."

"I mean, inside I'm sure she was very emotional, but she never showed it. And that's how she was brought up. I think it would have been almost impossible for her to change," she added.

However, David Cannadine suggests that Her Majesty did try and change, at least with her younger children.

Referring to the alleged indulgence of her younger sons Cannadine added in his book, "The result was that Andrew acquired an excessive sense of entitlement and an exaggerated opinion of his own abilities, which would lead to serious misjudgements that would eventually compel him to withdraw from public life".

After years of headlines and scandal connected to his ties with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on February 19. Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has always vehemently denied any allegations of wrong-doing.

Describing the arrest as a "wake up call" to the Royal Family, woman&home's royal correspondent Emily Andrews suggests the late Queen would have been "devastated", and later touched on comments further alluding to a different sort of dynamic than with her other children.

Perhaps supporting Cannadine's claims that the Queen might have "indulged" Andrew more, Emily recalled a courtier once telling her Andrew was her "Achilles’s heel".

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in a public office was never going to go uncommented upon by the Royal Family and within hours of the news breaking King Charles released a statement. It’s understood that His Majesty wasn’t informed in advance and he "learned with the deepest concern" about his brother’s arrest.

"What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation," he continued. "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course."

Yet it was the final line which really stood out to me. It indicates we won’t receive similar statements from any other royals and shows King Charles stepping up to protect the rest of his family as the torrent of Andrew headlines continues.

"My family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all," he concluded.

Although it’s been widely reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales supported King Charles’s statement, they haven’t released one themselves - and are unlikely to do so. The use of the collective "my family and I" clearly shows the monarch speaking on behalf of his nearest and dearest and indicating how they will be proceeding.

Royal duties will continue, that is what they’ll be focusing on, and it subtly and cleverly draws them into his own statement, negating the need for any others. Bringing the wider Royal Family into this message also links them to his remark that "it would not be right" for the King to comment further as the legal process continues.

If it’s not "right" for him to speak again, then it probably isn’t for them as "family and I" creates a sense of unity and alignment. It makes sense for King Charles to comment on the shocking events of 19th February given that he is, after all, Andrew’s brother and the monarch.

In calmly speaking for his family, though, you could also view it as him protecting the likes of Prince William and Kate and the Edinburghs and Princess Anne at a time where scrutiny of the Royal Family is at an all-time high. He’s stepped up as the family patriarch as well as the sovereign, delivering the statement in such a way as to give them nothing to add right now.

As he said, royal duties continued as planned throughout the rest of the day, which was also Andrew’s 66th birthday. King Charles attended the first day of London Fashion Week and Queen Camilla had an audience with Anna Wintour.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was released under investigation in the evening and he returned to his new home on the Sandringham Estate. He has consistently and strenuously denied any allegations of wrongdoing. In October the King shared a statement declaring that "notwithstanding" this, he would be stripping his brother of his princely title and "formal notice" had been served to surrender the lease on his Royal Lodge residence.

Given what King Charles said in his statement, I wouldn’t expect him to respond to any further calls for comment whilst his brother is under investigation and so we’ll be seeing the royals out and about as usual, whilst behind closed doors it is probably a very difficult time for them.

On 19th February - the former Prince Andrew’s 66th birthday - Thames Valley Police confirmed they had arrested a "man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office". While not formally naming him, it was widely understood to be the King's brother - something that was all but confirmed by the swiftness in which King Charles released a statement.

Arguably a sign that the Royal Family’s famous mantra of "never complain, never explain" is a thing of the past, His Majesty addressed the news directly, offering his "full and wholehearted support and co-operation" to the authorities.

This "carefully worded statement" struck woman&home’s Royal Editor, Emma Shacklock, who notes, "You’d expect King Charles’s statement on his brother Andrew’s arrest to be carefully worded - and indeed it was. However, the layers of meaning might not be immediately obvious."

She adds, "His choice to refer to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor so formally is very much in line with the tone of the rest of the statement. He focused on how the 'law must take its course' and didn’t mention 'my brother' once. He also stated that it would 'not be right' to comment further.

"Whilst this is probably due to the legal aspect, it could also possibly be a subtle sign that the King is distancing himself from Andrew on a personal level."

Indeed, the only mention of family that the King made in his statement implies a certain degree of separation. His statement ended, "Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all. Charles R."

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and vehemently denied all allegations of wrong-doing. This notwithstanding, King Charles made the decision to strip his brother of his Princely title in October 2025.

In a statement at the time, it was confirmed, "Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor… Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease [on Royal Lodge] and he will move to alternative private accommodation."

"Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse."

After releasing his statement, His Majesty kept the day business as usual after Andrew’s arrest. King Charles attended an event to mark the launch of London Fashion Week. He was photographed heading to an exhibition highlighting innovation and sustainability within British fashion - causes close to his heart, and explored profoundly in his recent Amazon Prime documentary.

The King also viewed an exhibition by Stella McCartney, who was recently selected to be an ambassador of his Sustainable Markets initiative, and he was all smiles in photographs from the event.

As for the rest of the Royal Family, it’s widely reported that Prince William and Kate are supporting the King in his statement. The only official line released by the Waleses so far came in early February, when they spoke of their deep concern.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said at the time, "I can confirm the prince and princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."

The King would have been forgiven for thinking he had done everything possible to stem the damage done by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. He’s been de-princed: his titles removed, evicted from his Royal Lodge home under the cover of darkness and put into internal exile on the private Sandringham estate.

But the latest tranche of Epstein files (3.5million which perhaps explains why documents, emails and pictures keep being discovered in a damaging ‘drip drip drip’ effect) have been devastating. That awful picture of Andrew, seemingly at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s New York townhouse, on all fours looming over a young woman.

Emails appearing to arrange to meet various young ‘clever, beautiful, trustworthy’ women that Epstein introduced to Andrew - who were admitted into Windsor Castle or Buckingham palace under the code name ‘Mrs Windsor’. Documents seemingly passed to Epstein that were sent to Andrew from government departments in his role as a UK trade ambassador.

The image of the crown that Andrew now represents - a self-important, boorish and pampered prince (not to mention his money-grasping ex-wife) - is deeply detrimental to the core royal values of duty, service and selflessness. Members of the Royal Family are supposed to uphold the strongest morals - not face potential criminal investigation for feathering their own pocket.

But, of course, I must repeat that Andrew denies any wrong-doing. What more can King Charles do?

I thought it was significant that both he and the Prince and Princess of Wales issued a statement last week. For William and Catherine, this was the first time they’d ever commented, saying they were ‘deeply concerned’ about the continuing revelations. It was a valiant attempt to try and refocus on William’s work ahead of his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, but it didn’t work.

Later the same day, the King issued a statement from Buckingham Palace saying that they would assist with any investigation ‘if asked’. Is that good enough though? For too long it has appeared as if it’s one rule for us, hoi polloi, and another for the super rich and powerful. The Royals are the apex of that.

Surely at some point, after the original interview with Virginia Roberts/Giuffre broke in 2011, courtiers within Buckingham Palace conducted their own investigations? At the very least, investigated their email servers (although it’s clear at times Andrew was using a private account to contact Epstein where he called himself the ‘Invisible Man’.)

Demands are now growing for an inquiry into the former Prince’s time as trade envoy - beside Gordon Brown’s calls for Andrew to tell police what he knew about Epstein’s sex trafficking victims arriving into Stansted airport from Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.

Of course the Royal Family don’t want an investigation into Andrew, fearful of what more will be revealed. But ‘never complain, never explain’ is just not going to wash any more.

If the monarchy’s popularity is to endure, it has to show that it takes these allegations seriously. It’s all very well uttering the well-worn ‘our thoughts and sympathies remain with the victims’, but the institution, in my opinion, has to do more.

That means voluntarily helping the authorities with what they knew, when they knew - and even the King making a public address to reiterate how seriously he takes all of this. For, in my opinion, the future of the monarchy depends on it.

King Charles is passionate about organic produce and grows a lot at his royal residences, including the star ingredient in one of the most comforting dishes. It’s easily overlooked but so many meals are made better by adding a potato element and a baked potato can be both a side and a main.

There’s nothing like tucking into a steaming jacket potato on a cold day and His Majesty has perfected his recipe through "trial and error". During a walk at Highgrove in the newly-released Amazon Prime Video documentary, Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, the King spoke about the key element a "decent baked potato" has to have.

"If you want to get decent baked potatoes - which I love - you’ve got to get the crispy skins," he said. "So the red Duke of Yorks are really good, we’ve discovered, again through trial and error."

Duke of York potatoes are a heritage variety that was first bred in 1891 and are known for their rich flavour. King Charles has clearly sampled a fair amount of different varieties baked to find his ideal jacket potato and I couldn’t agree with him more about the need for a crispy skin.

His use of "we’ve discovered" could mean either he’s cooking the baked potato, or is just involved in the potato selecting process. I like to think that His Majesty might occasionally make them at Clarence House or Highgrove House and we know that Queen Camilla still cooks for herself on occasion too - though baked potatoes aren’t her forte…

Speaking to her son Tom Parker Bowles for an interview in You magazine in 2022, the Queen said she could "fill a book" with her cooking "disasters". She added, "I’m not a natural baker, to say the least. As for baked potatoes… Many a poor, incinerated specimen has been found in the bottom of the Aga, put in, then forgotten about."

There’s crispy skin and then there’s "incinerated" and it’s likely that King Charles or their chefs take charge of the Duke of York baked potatoes rather than leaving it to her. Queen Camilla prefers to cook "simple things like fish en papillote with butter and herbs."

"And vegetables from the garden: kale, purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, courgettes, and lots of peas and beans because they freeze so well," she added.

The King and Queen are known to have a bit of rivalry over the produce they grow in the garden and Queen Camilla is always "very proud" of her white peaches. She called her husband an "excellent gardener", explaining that they’re "quite competitive about [their] fruit and vegetables".

As well as all their other vegetables and baked potatoes, King Charles is also partial to a roast potato and has his own specific way of cooking them too. In November 2022 he visited Morrisons HQ in Bradford and toured the supermarket aisles and development kitchen.

He was presented with an "irresistible" smelling roast rib of beef and revealed that he likes it when roast potatoes are cooked in the fat from the joint rather than in oil. This will add loads of flavour and although the royals enjoy both roasties and mash with their roast dinners, I'd personally be more excited to try the latter.

Amongst all the serious reflections about the need to bring nature and humanity back together and hopes for the future, there were also some more light-hearted moments in King Charles's new documentary. Finding Harmony: A King's Vision can now be watched on Amazon Prime Video and showed the monarch in a way we rarely get to see him.

In one clip, King Charles personally went to collect eggs from the chicken coop at Highgrove House and I couldn't help laughing at the sign on the door. What could be more fitting for the pets of a monarch than to live in their very own royal home, dubbed Cluckingham Palace.

It's far from as grand as its namesake, Buckingham Palace, but they seem very taken with the place, clucking constantly until His Majesty left them in peace. The moment was a small part of Finding Harmony, but it immediately made me laugh and showed his sense of humour.

After all, who doesn't love a pun? It's clear how much care goes into rearing these chickens and we saw the King personally collecting eggs in a wicker basket.

Although he won't be doing this regularly - partly because his primary residence right now is Clarence House - I can fully believe that he does go down to see the chickens when he's at Highgrove.

King Charles's late mother Queen Elizabeth was also known for both her love of her pets and her quick wit. It seems to have been passed to another generation too, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have also given their chicken coop its very own funny name.

They rescued their chickens from a battery farm and we saw in their Oprah Winfrey interview that inside the coop is a sign reading 'Archie's Chick-Inn - established 2021'. For all we know, this might now have been re-named to include their daughter Lilibet but the personal touch is reminiscent of what King Charles's feathered friends have.

The King has considerably more chickens, though, and 180 of them roam areas under the fruit trees. According to the Highgrove website, species include Burford Browns, Light Sussex, Marans and Welsummers and around 4,000 eggs are collected each year.

If you live in Gloucestershire and fancy trying some of these Cluckingham Palace eggs for yourself, then you can actually buy them from the Estate Shop and they're also used in the Orchard Tea Room. Both the King and Queen are fond of egg-based dishes themselves, though their go-tos are rather different.

Queen Camilla's son, food critic and writer Tom Parker Bowles, has revealed that her scrambled eggs were a staple on Boxing Day and a family favourite. She "seemed to be able to make huge quantities of these with the minimum of fuss" and cooks them on top of the Aga, with the pan "half off the coolest hotplate", as the "key" is cooking them over a very low heat.

Meanwhile, King Charles shared a much-loved recipe for cheesy baked eggs on the final day of British Cheese Weekender in 2020. This dish includes wilted spinach, tomatoes, soft cheese, an egg, double cream, grated hard cheese and basil leaves and sounds deliciously indulgent.

Organic produce is incredibly important to His Majesty and Highgrove was one of the first major estates to not only commit to farming organically, but demonstrating that this approach was possible and viable.