The King was all smiles as he met with community groups in Scotland just days after the fallout from Prince Harry’s bombshell accusations in his memoir.
King Charles III visited the Aboyne and Mid-Deeside Community Shed in Aberdeenshire on Thursday to tour its new facilities and meet local hardship support groups.
It is his first public engagement since his son’s controversial memoir Spare, the fastest selling non-fiction book in history, went on sale on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old’s words have sparked headlines for days due to claims he was attacked by his brother William, the Prince of Wales, he killed 25 Taliban members during the Afghanistan war and took illegal drugs.
During the King’s Scottish engagement, he was greeted by Lord Lieutenant Sandy Manson before being given a tour of the Community Shed’s ground floor.
During his visit, the monarch watched craft skills in action, including wood and stone carving, and meet the men who gather there weekly.
He is also expected to meet representatives from other charities and voluntary groups, including the Inverurie-based Aberdeenshire North Foodbank, Gordon Rural Action and Young at Heart Deeside.
Tipped by industry experts to be one of the year’s biggest books, Spare contains a series of revelations about royal life.
According to the publisher, the English language edition of Spare sold more than 1,430,000 units in all formats and editions in the United States, Canada and the UK on January 10 when it first hit bookshop shelves.
Speaking about the record sales, president and publisher of the Random House Group Gina Centrello said: “While many books by public figures can be fairly categorised as ‘celebrity memoir,’ Spare is not that.
“Vulnerable and heartfelt, brave and intimate, Spare is the story of someone we may have thought we already knew, but now we can truly come to understand Prince Harry through his own words.”
Prince Harry has been interviewed a number of times across UK and US broadcasters in a publicity flurry surrounding the launch of his autobiography, including with The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert and Good Morning America.
The Duke of Sussex has said he would like reconciliation with the King and his brother.
The King is said to be working on preparations for two planned state visits at the end of March to France and Germany. These will be the first state visits of his reign and he will be accompanied by Queen Camilla. His team is said to be finalising details with the Foreign Office and he will be joined by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the visits.
