Kate Hawkesby: We expect and want royals to be just like us, but are they really?

I think if anything symbolized how stressful and exhausting this week has been for the new monarch, it was ‘Pengate’. We saw a very tense, irritated King Charles, flustered that his pen was leaking, and with it all captured on microphone, we got to hear just how annoyed he was. Some media labelled it ‘rude’ others  referred to him as ‘losing his Royal cool’. This new incident off the back of a previous pen mishap he’d days earlier when he wanted his desk cleared and motioned angrily at his aides to do it, is a reminder, as if we needed it, that he is under phenomenal pressure, in trying circumstances, and he is handling it 'differently' to how we might. But then again, how do we know how we'd handle anything like this? We're not royals, and as much as we like to think they're 'just human' or 'just like you and me'.. they're not, they're a different breed. As long time listeners will know, I travelled on a plane with King Charles once. Prince back then, obviously. We were on Singapore Airlines, in First Class suites flying out of London. We were told at check in that some very special VIP’s were boarding our flight and that they’d had to move our seats around to accommodate them. I of course immediately asked who the VIP’s were, they wouldn’t tell me. But we were bumped forward by one row so the VIP could slip into the back row – where arguably he’d be less likely to be stared at by the remaining 11 of us in that cabin.  When David Beckham hopped on board I assumed that was the VIP, and I was overjoyed and immediately broke all the rules and went to talk to him and of course get the obligatory selfie with him to show my kids. This to be frank was my kind of royalty anyway. But after sitting back down I was then aghast when a second VIP hopped on, and that was in fact the VIP we’d been moved for. The real VIP - Prince Charles. He sat behind us. He had a crew of suited and booted aides with him and they were carrying paperwork and what turned out to be food for the now King. Oat cakes, cheese and chutney, and his own china. Now I don’t want to cast aspersions on a grieving and newly minted King, but this was a man who didn’t suffer fools, and he seemed very adept at ordering people round. He certainly did not carry the light of foot demeanour or 'fun' vibe that Beckham did, he was definitely.. different. So while I admire the fact we want to view these people as ‘human’ and ‘just like us’ .. my experience is they’re actually not. When you've grown up in an environment like that, of others deferring to you and serving you, and that is all you know, it must be incredibly hard to have to now tailor to the new modern generation desire for everyone to just ‘be human’, or to ‘be humble’. The new young royals are more cognizant of optics, because they're a social media generation, hyper aware of how every move, glance or word can be interpreted and over interpreted and 'go viral'. But because they're so aware there's more inauthenticity in how they behave. They're more orchestrated. King Charles is a man in his 70's who has grown up knowing nothing but a royal existence, he's been surrounded by people doing things for him his whole life. He's also just lost his Mother, barely had a moment to grieve, as he's been on a public tour of speeches and hand shaking ever since. He doesn't suffer fools, or clearly dodgy pens. He's obviously not aware of being made into memes - nor does he probably care. So while some might say snapping at aides made him look 'rude', it may just be that that's all he knows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.