King Charles encountered an ‘awkward situation’ this week when Sir Rod Stewart branded US President Donald Trump a ‘little ratbag’ during an event at the Royal Albert Hall
A former member of Royal Family staff says King Charles delivered a “masterclass” as he navigated an “awkward situation”. The moment came when King Charles met legendary singer Sir Rod Stewart at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this week.
Charles was at the iconic concert venue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust. Sir Rod meanwhile was performing his hits “Ooh La Laa” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight” with former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood.
Before the pair took to the stage, they had a chance to shake hands with the King. It was there that Sir Rod took the opportunity to comment on the King’s recent trip to America, where the monarch aimed a series of jokes at President Donald Trump.
Speaking to the King, Sir Rod said: “May I say well done in the Americas, you were superb, absolutely superb. You really put that little rat bag in his place.”
On the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, former royal author Richard Kay, the paper’s Editor-At-Large, was asked how the King must have been thinking after the Maggie May singer’s comment.
He replied: “Are the cameras whirring? Are the mics picking this up? He knows in his heart of hearts that the answer is almost certainly yes, but he’s a master at these kind of awkward situations but he always knows he doesn’t want to make the situation worse, and he effortlessly moved on.
“We couldn’t actually hear what remark he, Charles, made to Stewart because his back was to the camera but he is practiced at this sort of thing happening in public life and he rarely makes a false move.”
Meanwhile, former Buckingham Palace press secretary Ailsa Anderson, who worked for Queen Elizabeth II between 2001 and 2013, says the King would be prepared to encounter such situations.
She added: “Hopefully there’s no microphones or cameras whirling but if you comment on it, you’re just going to escalate the story and draw attention to it, so the best thing is to ignore it. And, of course, the king could deliver a masterclass on it.”
Elsewhere the King continued to be in jovial spirits this week as he made jokes about ageing at a Buckingham Palace garden party. During the walkabout, the King paused to speak with Virginia Cavill, who was seated in a wheelchair following a recent fall that left her with a broken ankle.
He quipped about the challenges of ageing, telling Ms Cavill: “This is the trouble as you get older, I know it’s going to happen to me.”
Ms Cavill then asked Charles about his own wellbeing, to which he gave a small smile. “I’m OK, I totter along,” he said.
The King was joined by Queen Camilla at the garden party on Tuesday. Around 8,000 people were invited to the event, which was the third of the season.
