How King Charles spends his day from 'never having breakfast in bed' to being 'non-stop' amid duties
A day in the life with the monarch...Have you ever wondered how King Charles spends his day from the moment he gets up to the end of his duties?
We all have our daily routines and the monarch is no different. A former royal butler has given an insight into what the king’s daily routine entailed while he worked for him.
While it’s not known exactly how King Charles spends every part of his day, some revelations have emerged.
From kicking off the day with breakfast to when his duties begin, let’s take a delve into a typical day for King Charles, 76.
How King Charles spends his day when he has royal duties
Grant Harrold, who worked as a butler for King Charles from 2004 to 2011, has revealed to Royal Insider some details on the monarch’s day-to-day shenanigans.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Grant explained how the king’s day begins: “The day would always begin with breakfast. The only difference with the royals is that it would always be taken in the dining room. You would certainly never catch the king having breakfast in bed.”
The king would hardly ever stop for lunch and engagements would continue throughout the day.
After brekkie, King Charles would then prepare for his royal duties for the day. Grant continued: “The day would then begin, royal engagements starting at 10 o’clock.
“The king would hardly ever stop for lunch and engagements would continue throughout the day.”
King Charles became known for skipping lunch for many years. However, according to reports, this changed after he was diagnosed with cancer and he has reportedly started eating lunch to keep his strength up.
The king would enjoy afternoon tea during his day of duties
Grant explained that often, royal engagements later in the day “would usually involve afternoon tea to make up for the lack of lunch”.
The butler explained: “The royals are huge advocates for afternoon tea. This is traditionally taken between 4-6pm.
“All engagements are usually finished by the early evening. But sadly this is when the office work begins. They don’t really stop.”
After duties, the king and other members of the royal family get ready for their dinner for the evening.
Grant said this will usually be served between 8pm and 11pm. He added: “It is difficult to be precise on that as it depends on what kind of dinner it was. A state banquet would obviously be very different to a normal evening meal.”
How the royals spend the weekend if they have guests
When it comes to the weekend, there’s still routine within palace walls it seems – especially if they have guests.
Grant said: “This would change drastically on the weekends if there is a shoot party. Then it is all about the guests and is much more regimented.
“Guests will be woken up around 7am. Between 8-10:30 would be breakfast. Then you have your elevenses which would be tea, coffee and biscuits.
Inside King Charles’ diet and what he eats in a day
The monarch has been described as a "foodie" by a former royal chef.
So what does King Charles eat in a typical day?
King Charles' diet and the foods he loves to eat
Of course, it's not known exactly what the king eats on a daily basis. However, some people have shared details on King Charles' eating habits over the years.
Clarence House’s official Instagram page previously shared one of King Charles’ favourite brunch recipes – cheesy baked eggs. Mmmm!
When it comes to dinner, King Charles and wife Queen Camilla are said to be fans of hearty meals.
Mervyn Wycherley, who worked at the palace as a chef for 33 years, said recently: "The food is quite simplistic. They love simple foods, but always very good quality foods, very organic. It’s always been the same, all of the family have an interest in food, especially His Royal Highness, the king now, he’s very, very interested in his food, and enjoys putting his oar in and with menus and all sorts of things."
Why the king would skip lunch
Meanwhile, reports claimed that King Charles was never really a big fan of eating lunch during royal duties. But this is something he changed when he was diagnosed with cancer.
The king now ensures he has lunch to keep his strength up amid his cancer treatment. The Daily Mail claimed late last year that Charles enjoys "half an avocado" at lunchtime.
King Charles himself has previously discussed some of his eating habits. In 2021, the then Prince Charles shared with the BBC: "For years I haven’t eaten meat and fish on two days a week and I don’t eat dairy products on one day a week."
“At 12:30pm you would have some drinks. 1-2:30 you would have lunch. 4-6 you would have afternoon tea. 6:30 you would have an evening drink. 7:30 would be official pre-dinner drinks.
“8-9pm dinner would begin and it would go on until 10:30-11. If you were going to have a supper, however, that would be slightly different and would be from 9-12.”
Read more: King Charles’ ‘sausage fingers’ ‘explained’ and joke monarch has made about his hands
What do you think about how King Charles spends his days? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @RoyalInsiderOfficial and let us know.
