King Charles is "confident" in his handling of royal family crises as he balances duty and personal issues, according to a senior Palace aide.
As family matters, including the ongoing police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, continue to dominate headlines back at home, the King is pressing on with his nine-day tour of the Caribbean after arriving in Antigua and Barbuda on Friday night.
Asked whether the monarch was confident that his approach to family matters was the right one, in light of recent polling showing a dip in his popularity, the aide said: "Yes. That is why he takes the actions he does - and has done."
Reflecting on the King’s ability to balance his roles as head of the family and Head of State, the senior aide added: "Busy people get lots done.
© Getty Images"The King rigorously prioritises his multiple roles, as Head of State, church, Commonwealth, military and family. The order of priority shifts by the day - and often by the hour."
The crises facing the royal family
The Palace’s comments come days after Police Scotland confirmed it had begun preliminary inquiries into the former Duke of York’s visits to Balmoral with Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, following allegations that women were trafficked to the King’s private Scottish estate.
Andrew remains under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office following his arrest on February 19.
© Getty ImagesMeanwhile, the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the King’s unprecedented reminder to official bodies that they should be treated as "private citizens" and the recent allegations of child sex abuse levelled at Meghan’s father Thomas Markle have distracted from the royal family’s public work.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on whether the King has spoken to his daughter-in-law since the allegations emerged.
King Charles is remaining focused amid tour
Instead, his focus remains on the job in front of him, which he is carrying out with impressive stamina. In Guyana, he carried out nine engagements in a day, despite a “feels like” temperature of 38 degrees Celsius thanks to the humidity.
Queen Camilla, who is not a fan of flying, arrived in Antigua and Barbuda on the evening of October 29, giving herself two days to acclimatise before joining her husband for official engagements on November 1.
© Getty Images“You’ve seen over past days The King working as hard as ever, across time zones with packed schedules tackling the widest range of issues in support of UK, Realm and Commonwealth objectives,” said the aide.
"This is literally the job he was born to do - lifelong service, with global impact and a tireless commitment to duty. You will also hopefully have seen the great pride, pleasure and satisfaction it gives him, whether meeting Heads of State to discuss high- level matters of international diplomacy, or meeting the crowds who’ve turned out to meet him in the streets … a few unscripted Royal dance moves and all. That approach to his life and service never stops.”
Asked whether the Queen and his team still struggle to pace his ambitious workload, the senior aide replied: “We try… and just about succeed most of the time.”
