King is known as C Rex – and there’s a tie to go with the joke
THE “cheerful” King let his sartorial choices convey his sense of humour as he revelled in his new status as monarch, a new book has revealed.
The 75-year-old has been spotted out and about on several occasions over the last year wearing a pale pink silk tie featuring a light blue tyrannosaurus rex pattern.
It is understood to have been given to him by a member of his family as a coded play on his new title: Charles III Rex, or C-rex.
The King’s new nickname is discussed in Robert Hardman’s new book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, published today.
Hardman notes that the King’s “capacity for gloomy introspection” appears to have lifted in recent months and that his mood is “unquestionably more cheerful these days”.
“The new mood has even permeated his wardrobe,” he writes. “Finding gifts for the man who really does have everything might be tricky, but, since his accession, his family have given the King several new ties.
“A particular favourite, seen on numerous occasions, from church at Sandringham to a walkabout in Manchester, is of pale pink silk with a light blue tyrannosaurus rex pattern printed all over it.
“Is the T-rex motif a humorous, coded play on C-rex? ‘I couldn’t possibly comment,’ says one of his team with a grin, suggesting strongly that it might be.
“Like his mother, who thoroughly enjoyed being Queen, even during some very dark days, Charles III is, simply, very happy being monarch.”
The King may take great pride in spending hours at his desk, meticulously trawling through his red boxes of government papers but there is one phenomenon that has caused concern.
“Six months into the reign, officers of the Household Division received a polite request from the King’s equerry asking if soldiers might lower the decibels when barking orders outside St James’s Palace,” Hardman writes.
“‘Full marks for vigour’, he wrote, ‘but please could you pass down to those on guard that some volume control would be very much appreciated’.”