Coleen Nolan says King Charles should be cut some slack for his 'childish' outburst over a leaky pen which left him irked on Tuesday.
The monarch was in Northern Ireland as part of a tour of the UK to lead mourning for his late mother, who passed away at the age of 96 last week at Balmoral Castle.
Speaking in frustration as he handed the pen to his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, he said: "Oh god I hate this [pen]!", to which Camilla responded: "Oh look, it's going everywhere."
After wiping his fingers clean, he muttered as he walked away: "I can't bear this bloody thing ... every stinking time!"
Now Coleen has defended the King after his moment of petulance at Hillsborough Castle and explained why things got on top of him that afternoon.
Writing in her Mirror newsletter, the Loose Women regular says having to fulfil your duty so close to a bereavement is incredibly testing.
She said: "Seeing the royals grieve for the Queen in public this week got me thinking about empathy. Grief can do strange things to people, which is why I think we need to give Charles a break over the pen fiasco.
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"Yes, the optics weren’t great, as he angrily gestured to an aide to remove a tray of pens from his desk so he could sign official documents.
"He looked a little like a spoiled child who’s used to having everything done for him. Of course, if you’re brought up to be King, then you are used to an army of servants running your entire life for you.
"He is now the King, but he’s also a human being, trying to hold it all together during one of the most stressful and momentous weeks of his life. Maybe the tray of pens was the straw that broke the camel’s back; the little annoyance that sent him over the edge."
It's nine years since her sister Bernie passed away at the age of 52 from breast cancer.
Coleen says the outpouring of grief is bringing it all back and knows how the Royal Family are feeling.
She added: "I remember having to do an interview on the day my sister Bernie died.
"All I wanted to do was scream and shout, and tell the whole world to get stuffed, but I had a job to do. If someone had handed me a cold cup of tea at that point, I might have kicked off, but it wouldn’t really have been about the tea, it would have been about my grief.
"So, let’s give him a break for now and hope he’s learned a few things from his mum, who was always a total pro in public, whatever she was feeling inside."
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