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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Stephen White & Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas & Abbie Meehan

King Charles III never eats lunch and has a 'strict breakfast routine'

The former press secretary for King Charles III has revealed that the new King doesn't stop for lunch, and has a strict breakfast routine.

Rumours have circulated for years that the newly-appointed monarch is served a line of eggs to choose from in the morning, reports the Mirror. However, former aide Julian Payne said: "I never saw a single boiled egg at breakfast in all the years I worked there.”

Julian also said: "The King doesn’t eat lunch; so, an early lesson I learnt when out on the road with him was to have a big breakfast or bring a few snack bars with you to keep you going.

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“The working day is pretty relentless. Beginning with the radio news headlines and a breakfast of seasonal fruit salad and seeds with tea.”

The King's household is run very strictly by a small, dedicated team of staff, who have been with him for decades. A day in King Charles III's office is just as tightly-bound.

The King has back-to-back sessions about his charity's next project that last up to 45 minutes each. He also plans forthcoming tours, and discusses these with Sir Clive Alderton, his principal private secretary.

Twice a year, all of the King's new work is set into six-month diaries. This planning is organised from a mixture of invitations he receives from his patronages and military links, alongside his nation and state work.

These plans include the likes of state opening of Parliament, Remembrance Sunday and so on. There is a break from his ‘relentless schedule’ about 1pm, but “not to eat but to get outside to walk.

Julian added: "The King dislikes being inside for too long and always has the windows wide open."

He will pause for the first time in the day at 5pm, where he will eat alongside the Queen Consort, giving him a chance to recharge over some tea and sandwiches.

If there is anything left after the cake has been passed around, it will be placed in a Tupperware box to reappear the next day and the day after that. The King then returns to his desk to deal with a mountain of paperwork that never seems to shrink, despite the best efforts of his PAs.

Dinner is at 8.30pm sharp and then at 10pm he heads back to his desk, usually until well past midnight. Mr Payne noted that the King's habit for late nights is also a common theme in public engagements, where his willingness to discuss, and openness means his chats go on for hours on end.

One rather famous example of this is reported to have happened at a James Bond premiere several years ago. It took the King a lot longer than expected to speak with Daniel Craig, as he was busy chatting to security guards and set designers.

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