‘I worked for Royal Family – Charles gave masterclass after awkward situation’ | Royal | News
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 11: King Henry III. Charles meets with staff and the public during a visit to Guy’s Cancer Center to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of Guy’s Hospital and unveil a plaque on May 11, 2026 in London, England. The Da Vinci Surgical System helps shorten the patient’s recovery time by allowing smaller and more precise incisions to be made during bladder surgery. The robot highlighted advances in the MedTech sector at Guy’s Hospital and Kin’s College London. (Photo: Eddie Mulholland-WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Image: WPA Pool, Getty Images)
A former member of the royal family has described King Charles’ handling of an “awkward situation” as a “masterclass” in diplomacy. The moment emerged as King Charles faced off against legendary rock star Sir Rod Stewart at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this week.
Charles was at the iconic venue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust. Meanwhile, Sir Rod was performing his classic hits “Ooh La Laa” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight” with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood. The duo was given the opportunity to shake hands with the King before taking the stage. It was at this point that Sir Rod took the opportunity to comment on the King’s recent visit to America, where the King made a series of jokes at President Donald Trump.
Sir Rod calls Trump ‘little bastard’ (Image: Getty Images)
Speaking directly to the King, Sir Rod said: “Well done in America I must say, you were magnificent, absolutely magnificent. You really put that little mouse bag in its place.”
On the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, former royal writer Richard Kay, the paper’s Editor-in-Chief, was asked what was going through the King’s mind following the Maggie May singer’s candid statement.
He responded: “Are the cameras working? Are the microphones picking this up? He knows deep down in his heart that the answer is almost certainly yes, but he’s adept at these kinds of awkward situations but he always knows he doesn’t want to make the situation worse and moves on effortlessly.”
“We couldn’t actually hear what Charles said to Stewart because his back was to the camera, but he’s experienced with this sort of thing in public life and rarely makes a wrong move.”
King Charles joked that without the UK, the entire US would speak French (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II from 2001 to 2013. Ailsa Anderson, former Buckingham Palace press secretary who served Elizabeth, suggested the King should be well prepared for such encounters.
He added: “I hope there’s no microphone or camera rolling, but if you comment on it you’ll escalate the story and draw attention to it, so it’s best to ignore it. And of course the king could give a masterclass in that.”
Elsewhere, the King kept his spirits up this week by joking about getting older at a garden party at Buckingham Palace. During the tour, the monarch stopped to chat with Virginia Cavill, who was in a wheelchair and had a broken ankle from a recent fall.
Playing down the challenges of getting older, she told Ms Cavill: “That’s the thing as I get older, I know it’s going to happen to me.”
Ms. Cavill then asked about Charles’ own health, and he smiled slightly. “I’m fine, I’m stumbling along,” he replied.
The King was accompanied by Queen Camilla at the garden party on Tuesday. Approximately 8,000 guests were invited to the third event of the season.
