REVEALING THE INSIDE STORY OF THE KING'S CORONATION ROYAL AUTHOR ROBERT HARDMAN ON HOW CHARLES CONQUERED A TOUGH FIRST YEAR AND WHY PRINCE WILLIAM TICKLED HIM IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY

The royal family may be facing health setbacks, but King Charles III reigns over a “happy court”, according to the author of a major new book on the monarchy.

- EMILY NASH

“We have a very happy King on the throne,” Robert Hardman tells hello!. “Of course, he’s got his challenges, and every day there’s a drama of some sort, but he’s enjoying being King.”

Acclaimed royal author and journalist Robert has written the definitive account of His Majesty’s accession and coronation after shadowing the King and Queen over the past 18 months.

His accompanying documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year, which was broadcast on BBC1 on Boxing Day, took viewers behind the scenes during rehearsals for the coronation at Westminster Abbey, even capturing the King on camera joking about his “sausage fingers”.

This lighter side to Charles is more evident than ever now he is on the throne, says Robert, who has been covering the royal family since 1992.

Robert Hardman (inset above right) shares his insight after shadowing the King and Queen for 18 months, focusing on their coronation (together above) last May. Robert, who saw the Prince of Wales tickle his father during a rehearsal (left) for the ceremony, believes the monarch is enjoying his new role. The King poses (right) in his Royal Navy uniform as an Admiral of the Fleet in a new official portrait released last week

NEW LEASE OF LIFE 

“He’s always been a very genial character,” Robert tells us. “He’s a very interesting person – lots of ideas, lots of things to say. But I think when he was in his princely days, if you like, he was still having to ask permission to do things.

“But this idea that he was somehow impatient to be King – he wasn’t. There was absolutely no sense of: ‘I want to get in there and it’s my turn.’ It wasn’t like that at all.