As a former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson sat among his counterparts as he watched the Coronation of King Charles.
But just days later, it has emerged that the disgraced former Tory leader had previously had a confrontation with the monarch, where it is claimed he "essentially squared up" to him.
The allegations were made by former No10 Director of Communications under Mr Johnson, Guto Harri, who said it happened at a Commonwealth summit last year following reports Charles had branded his policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda "appalling".
But it seems the two men have never really seen eye-to-eye and have endured several run-ins even before their supposed tense meeting last year...
Biscuit dig
Sources have previously acknowledged that the King - when he was Prince of Wales - and Mr Johnson have had a frosty relationship for some time.
And previous reports have suggested that their relationship was so bad that Mr Johnson reportedly struggled to deliver a suitable tribute to Charles when asked by the BBC.
In case of their sudden deaths, the broadcaster enlisted the former PM to pay his respects to Charles and Princess Anne in autumn 2020.
But while he was apparently available to deliver a positive message about Anne, he reportedly struggled with her older brother.
The Times says the PM told aides before the interview that he did not like Charles and made a series of jokes instead - by paying tribute to his Duchy Originals biscuits made by a partnership between Waitrose and the Duchy of Cornwall, previously run by Charles and now Prince William.
He joked that Charles was the "King of Biscuits" and said he feared that he would "take the recipe to his grave".
Time-keeping tension
It has also been reported that the growing division between the two men harks back to Mr Johnson's time as Foreign Secretary.
He is said to be very relaxed about punctuality and often keeps people waiting for meetings. Meanwhile, the King cannot abide lateness.
But Whitehall sources later told the Daily Mail that this issue improved when Mr Johnson became PM as he had to stick to a rigid timetable due to strict security reasons.
Balmoral meeting
It is said that the relationship between the pair also soured when Boris Johnson visited the Royal Family's private Scottish estate of Balmoral.
The late Queen would invite the Prime Minister of the day and their family to her Highland retreat to spend a relaxed weekend in late summer
But Mr Johnson's visit in 2019 reportedly didn't go down well with the then-Prince Charles, who invited him to visit his home of Birkhall after seeing the late Queen.
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Johnson's 'shambolic' demeanour during the meeting led to 'eyebrows being raised' by Charles's loyal staff.
One source said at the time: "Let's just say that the Prime Minister was not focused on the meeting with the Prince of Wales in a way one might expect.
"The Prince of Wales is used to meeting all sorts of people but among the aides there was a feeling definitely that during the Birkhall meeting with Boris Johnson, he wasn’t being afforded the respect you might argue that he deserves as a senior public figure who works very hard for the country. The Prince wasn't kicking up a fuss about it. It was more the staff who felt sorry on his behalf.
"The next time they met, it was sort of quashed. Things have got better, but they have never been what you might call the best of friends".
Rwanda row
Meanwhile, last year before he ascended the throne, there were reports that Charles privately branded Mr Johnson's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda "appalling".
A spokesman for the royal didn't deny his comments - but insisted he "remains politically neutral”, while Downing Street tried to play down the row, insisting Mr Johnson had "great affection and admiration" for Charles.
Days after, the two men came to face-to-face at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in the Rwandan capital Kigali, where they had a "cup of tea and a catch up" with croissants and snacks for just 15 minutes and 10 seconds.
They posed for a brief photograph with Mr Johnson pointing to the cameras and jokingly asking the press "Who are you?"
Charles stood awkwardly with his hand in his pocket.
After the television camera, press photographer and two Number 10 staff were shown out, tea was brought in. Mr Johnson was the first to depart, leaving brusquely to attend another meeting.
Now, In extraordinary comments, former No10 Director of Communications under Mr Johnson, Guto Harri, claimed the former PM "went in quite hard" on the then-Prince during the meeting.
He also claimed Mr Johnson, who was ousted from No10 last year, warned Charles against making a speech on slavery due to demands to "pay reparations" that could follow.
He told the News Agents podcast: "Things were not so celebratory when Boris and the soon-to-be King went to Kigali, Rwanda. Prince Charles, as he was then, had criticised the government's approach to small boats.
"He was also planning a speech on slavery. Boris squared up, confronted him and warned him 'I'd be careful' he said, 'or you'll end up having to sell the Duchy of Cornwall to pay reparations for those who built it.' Relations never fully recovered."
However, Mr Johnson disputed his long-standing ally's account as "inaccurate" on Tuesday.
A source close to Mr Johnson said: "Boris Johnson does not recognise this account and it is inaccurate. It does not accurately reflect any conversation.
"We would never comment on these matters and Mr Johnson deplores any attempt to do so."
