King Charles III has a number of unique requirements when travelling, according to a royal author who has claimed that the British monarch travels with a teddy bear and his own toilet seat.
The 73-year-old monarch’s alleged idiosyncrasies were shared by Christopher Andersen, the author of the upcoming book The King: The Life of Charles III. Andersen told Entertainment Tonight that Charles is “one of the most eccentric sovereigns Great Britain has ever had”.
Andersen says many of the King’s quirks relate to the time he spends away from home and that Charles “still travels with a childhood teddy bear” that he has had “since he was a very small child.” He added that the only person allowed to mend the stuffed bear is the King’s childhood nanny, Mabel Anderson, “who he remains very close to”.
In addition to his childhood teddy bear, Andersen also claimed that Charles “travels with a custom-made toilet seat”. The claim is not entirely new, as author and former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown previously suggested the same in her book The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor.
In Brown’s book, released earlier this year, she claims Charles insists on bringing his “orthopaedic bed, lavatory seat and Kleenex Velvet lavatory paper” when he travels.
The King is reportedly also particular when it comes to what he eats while travelling. Andersen told Entertainment Tonight that palace insiders have claimed Charles brings his own chef when dining at someone else’s home.
“People who work in the palace, people who have worked for him, say that... when he goes to dinner parties at other people’s homes he often brings his own chef, so they can prepare a meal for him that he’ll eat separately at the table,” Andersen said, adding: “He wants what he wants when he wants it.”
Charles’ unique eating habits were previously discussed by former royal chef Darren McGrady in the 2019 Channel 5 documentary Secrets of the Royal Kitchen. The chef claimed that, whenever the royal came to visit his late mother Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, he “always arrived with a hamper of his own produce”.
For breakfast, McGrady said that Charles liked two bottled plums, but would only take one of the fruits.
“The instruction was to put two plums and a little juice into the bowl and send it into him for breakfast,” McGrady claimed. “I’d send in two plums and he would take one so it would come back out after breakfast and I’d put the other plum back into the jar and save it.”
McGrady shared that when he tried to send Charles just one plum, he received a request from the royal’s attending waiter for a second plum. “So I had to keep sending two in every morning,” the chef alleged.
As for the British ruler’s “funniest quirk,” Andersen claimed it is Charles’ alleged distaste for “square ice cubes,” an opinion the author told ET is also shared by other royals.
“I think one of the funniest quirks - a number of royals have this, the Queen had it as well - they don’t like square ice cubes,” Andersen alleged. “They carry around ice cube trays, have them brought with them wherever they go, because they don’t like the clinking sound that square cubes make.”
Andersen also spoke of the King’s personality and claimed Charles is “very moody, very temperamental,” and at times, has a “volcanic temper”.
“He’s very capable of flying into rages,” Andersen claimed.
As for the future of the monarchy under Charles, Andersen said he expects the 73 year old to make “some bold moves,” as he noted that the King has been “waiting for 70 years to take this job”.
“If the monarchy survives and flourishes, it will be because of Charles. If it doesn’t, it will be because of Charles. Everything hinges on what King Charles III becomes,” the author said.
The King: The Life of Charles III will be released on 8 November.
The Independent has contacted a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace for comment.
