‘Nerves’: Former Palace PR boss reveals what King Charles is really like on tour

Just days out from his Aussie tour, an ex-senior Palace aide has revealed what Charles is actually like in private while travelling.

He’s been a working royal for decades, undertaking dozens of high-profile tours – but ahead of his first visit to Australia as the reigning monarch, King Charles was feeling plenty of “nerves”.

Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Ailsa Anderson worked directly for Queen Elizabeth II from 2001-2013. She was in proximity with then-Prince Charles and other senior royals – and saw first-hand how they prepared for, and handled, international trips.

The King and his wife Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday night. They will undertake a rest day on Saturday before kicking off three days of engagements, which will also see them visit Canberra.

The royal couple will then head to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

It’s Charles’ 17th time in Australia - even surpassing Queen Elizabeth’s impressive 15 visits.

Then-Prince Charles met with members of the public in Brisbane during his last visit to Australia in 2018. Picture: Dan Peled/Pool/AFP

In 1974, during one of his previous visits, he stopped by Geelong Grammar in Victoria. Picture: Supplied

According to Ms Anderson, like his mother before him, the King has always been a “workaholic” – and susceptible to “nerves” ahead of an important tour.

“Obviously a major tour like this has a lot of planning in place, and I did the late Queen’s last tour to Australia in 2011, which was extraordinary,” she told news.com.au during an episode of the Royal Exclusive show.

“There’ll be meticulous planning for this, especially for his first one to Australia [as monarch]. “He loves Australia, he absolutely adores it, he loves the Australian people – he’ll be really looking forward to it.”

The Aussie visit is the royal couple’s first trip back since their coronation. Picture: Supplied/Millie Pilkington, Buckingham Palace

The King has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since early this year, and his tour has been adjusted in accordance with his doctors’ advice, including shortening its duration.

“He’ll be pacing himself, but he’ll want to see and do as much as possible, because he’s an incredible workaholic. He would want to work 12, 14, 16 hours a day if at all possible,” Ms Anderson revealed.

“I think the Queen will be saying, ‘Actually, darling, hang on a minute, please pace yourself … It’s a long distance, you want to fit in as much as possible, but you don’t want to make yourself ill while doing it.’”

She added that “there are [always] nerves,” by senior royal family members, including the King, ahead of significant tours like Australia.

“[They] don’t want it to go wrong, [they] don’t want to let people down,” Ms Anderson admitted.

“He’ll be very conscious of giving a fantastic performance – here he is on the world stage, and he won’t want to to be putting a foot wrong. So of course, there’s nerves, and quite rightly, too.”

Charles and Camilla in Adelaide back in 2012, as part of a Diamond Jubilee Tour for the late Queen. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The former top Palace aide, who was part of the senior team on numerous royal tours, explained that they counter any pre-tour anxieties with plenty of planning.

“It’s all in the preparation, and [his team] will be all over it. Everyone will want to make it a success, whether you’re from the home team or in Australia.”

Early trips to Australia by royal staff to help scope out stops on the itinerary have helped to hone this visit – and the King is “absolutely hands-on” during the whole process, “as was the late Queen,” Ms Anderson said.

The King takes part in all aspects of the visit, including “anything in the program, people [he and Camilla] will meet, the audience [he will] give, the lunches, the dinners, the banquets, the speeches”.

“The King will be all over it like a rash, he really will – there’ll be no stone unturned,” Ms Anderson said.

“He’ll want to put his stamp on it, this is his first trip to Australia as monarch.

“I don’t know how many trips he’ll make back to Australia, it could be his only one, it could be one of many – but he’ll make to make it a legacy piece.”

The King’s last visit to Australia was in 2018, when he travelled on behalf of the late Queen to open the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

This time around, the King and his wife are expected to begin their official itinerary on Sunday with a church service in Sydney. They’ll then head to the ACT on Monday, where they will visit the Australian War Memorial and lay a wreath for the fallen, and also pay their respects at the “For our Country” sculptural pavilion at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial.

The royal couple are due back in Sydney on Tuesday, where they will review a naval fleet on Sydney Harbour and attend a community barbecue in Parramatta.

They’ll each also take part in separate engagements, joining local community groups for discussions on issues aligning with their charitable causes, before travelling to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The trip marks the King’s first big overseas trip since his cancer diagnosis was announced in February. 

Originally published as ‘Nerves’: Former Palace PR boss reveals what King Charles is really like on tour