But now the UK and the Commonwealth will be encouraged to see King Charles as the ‘grandfather of the nation’, whose kindness, compassion and wisdom will ensure a seamless transition from his late mother to her son. It’s an image the new monarch and his team have been determined to project since he left Balmoral on Thursday, having been forced to put aside his deep personal grief to lead his stunned country into mourning. King Charles, 73, knows he will never be able to replicate his mother’s role or unique place in British national life – nor does he want to – but he has inherited many of her most admirable qualities. UK and Commonwealth to be encouraged to see King Charles as ‘nation’s grandfather’ writes Rebecca English A friend says: “Although he is not in the prime of youth, that is not a bad thing for this country. His Majesty brings with him 50 years of experience on the world stage and will be able to adopt a grandfatherly presence in the life of the nation. It may be easier to bear the loss of the nation’s grandmother. “Yes, you knew him from before. But I think there’s been a clear and immediate change in the way people see him and the way he’s presented to the world. “He makes it very clear that he is all about continuity and wants to dedicate himself to the service of the country, respecting its constitutional guidelines. “I think people are already responding to that. When the sun came out and the crowds applauded and cheered him on at Buckingham Palace on Friday, it was an incredibly emotional moment for those of us who have known him for many years. He was touched beyond belief.’ The friend adds: “His address to the nation that night was grand and heartfelt, every word written in his own hand. “He was telling us that he understood what his mother meant to all of us and that he would continue to make her proud.” Seasoned PR professional Patrick Harrison has been Charles’ Press Secretary for more than a decade and played a key role in working on the King’s reputation and introducing ‘Mrs PB’ [Parker Bowles] – Camilla – in the world. Lord Lyon King of Arms Joseph Morrow (R) attends the proclamation of the new King, King Charles III, from the Mercat Cross outside St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh The Marching Band of the 3rd Royal Welsh Battalion, and their billy goat mascot, march at Cardiff Castle ahead of the proclamation ceremony Few people have had such a ringside seat in history, and he says the man we’ve seen in recent days is the same passionate, driven person he knew, but with an instinctive sense of what he needs to bring to the table now. He tells me: “The King’s sense of duty is exactly the same as her late Majesty’s. He has given 50 years of public service and is the most dedicated and dedicated person I have ever worked for. “He is also one of the hardest workers. If you flew back after a long trip and watched a movie, he would be the only person still working on his papers. He is incredibly dedicated and hardworking and devoted to public duty. All he has done is try to make things better for other people. He is who he is and that’s not going to change. “But what we saw while the Prince of Wales was that he had particular passions. And more than anyone knows they can’t have that level of involvement now. “I think what we’re seeing already is that passion now being channeled into compassion. The passionate prince will become the compassionate king. “The role of the monarch is to be the unifier of the nation and the embodiment of compassion. He has it in abundance.’ That Charles has already, in such a short space of time, such goodwill from the nation is no surprise to those who have known him for years. They believe the King has been unfairly caught up in a period of PR, fueled by “trash” memoirs of aides such as Netflix drama The Crown. Three cheers for the King are heard after the reading of the Declaration of Accession at Hillsborough Castle, south Belfast Members of the Yukembruk dance group perform during the proclamation ceremony at Parliament in Canberra, Australia Shortly after I took up my job as the Daily Mail’s Royal Correspondent more than 15 years ago, I was asked to tea by a senior aide who told me as we sat by a roaring fire: ‘He is a man who has made mistakes, but should he be forced to pay them for the rest of his life?’ Another senior royal who has worked closely with the King agrees, arguing: “All these things that the outside world is noticing now – the connection with the public, the emotion of the man, the fact that he will respect constitutional red lines – has been saying it and doing it for years. “The only difference is that so many people stopped really looking at what was in front of them sometime in the mid-1990s when his marriage broke down and he was labeled a certain way. Many people decided on him then – this crazy, cold, indifferent prince. “And no one bothered to look at him again until Friday. “He is working incredibly hard to get off to a good start in his first few days and weeks. It’s a careful balancing act between wanting to show he’s ready and prove that the continuity people are hoping for is coming to fruition, but at the same time struggling with the loss of his mother after 73 years. And that’s an incredible emotional tightrope. In fact, I think the job will keep him. It will give him something to focus on besides losing his mother.’ Over the years, Charles has suffered from the curse of the poll, regularly struggling to reach double figures compared to younger, more glamorous royals or his mother’s unwavering popularity. Some think it’s a shame it took until now to hit his stride, but others think he saved the best for last. The Band of the Honorable Artillery Company marches through the Royal Exchange ahead of the second Proclamation in the City of London held on Saturday The Queen’s funeral procession proceeded down the Royal Mile to Holyroodhouse earlier today (Sunday) A former royal aide says: “In many ways the idea of ​​being a prince has a youthful connotation and that became increasingly incompatible as the prince got older. The minute he assumed the role of King was an opportunity for him to represent himself as that superior personality – the grandfather of the nation. “And he fits that role right away. He looks the right age, has the gravitas, the tone of voice and, most importantly, the experience. People talk a lot about the Queen’s first prime minister being Winston Churchill, but Charles is someone who also met Winston Churchill as a young man and every prime minister who followed. He is reassuring, brings continuity and looks the part. “He is a 73-year-old man, he has gray hair, he has a rich, sweet voice. So for the King now it’s about connecting with people and reassuring them that there is someone at the top of this country and kingdoms that you can literally lean on. “I think what surprises people is the depth of emotion — the emotional range — that you already see in him.” This is nothing new to people who have worked with the King for years. One tells me of a visit to a children’s playground when a patient the then-prince had planned to see died tragically hours before his arrival. Many councilors were in favor of canceling the visit. Charles followed through, taking the child’s grieving parents to a chapel and spending 20 minutes comforting them. Not a word was revealed to the media. Aids described the new King as a “very young 73” saying: “This is a man who is extremely fit, whose work rate leaves most of his household behind in his wake.” Floral tributes to the late Queen have been placed at royal residences across the country A source says: “That’s something people don’t always see about him. Yes, they see his “big junk” like the environment, but they don’t know about the hours he spends every week writing to people who are going through losses and hard times, meeting them and talking to them. “He’s long been underrated for that. After incidents like the flood disasters in Cumbria, the Selby rail disaster – he insisted on going – and meeting wounded soldiers returning from overseas, he was always there as part of his makeup and we see it in his sons too. ‘ The same source admits it makes them ‘cry’ when royal commentators refer to Charles’ long wait for the ‘top job’. The insider says, “The prince I worked for did not wait. Get on with it. He had 100 things he wanted to do and deliver. He always said “There were 21 Princes of Wales and they all created their own different job description”. “Destiny was always waiting – of course it was. But the idea of ​​him waiting for the top spot was completely inaccurate.’ It’s a lot to ask at 73 though, surely? I ask another former assistant. They argue: ‘Only he’s a very young 73. This is a man who is extremely fit, whose work rate leaves most of his household behind in his wake. “Most of the staff find it exhausting working for him because he never bloody stops. He has an amazing work rate that would be significant for someone in their 40s, let alone in their 70s. And most of all he cares about what he does. This cannot be understated. He is fascinated by everyone and everything. It is the fuel to drive him forward….