Charles is royally rattled as scandal engulfs his brother

The moment that Buckingham Palace has to explain what King Charles is up to, rather than relying on his actions to speak for themselves, is the moment when you know the royals are rattled.

- Peter Hunt

So it was last Monday when the king met those affected by the synagogue attack in Manchester. His spokesperson felt the need to tell reporters that the head of state wanted to focus on "duty and service" and hoped people wouldn't be distracted by "other matters".

The distraction was created by the perception that the latest palace response to Prince Andrew's friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein didn't go far enough. The last time they were so out of step with public opinion was back in 1997 when, in the aftermath of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, tabloid headlines declaring "Show us you care" and "Where is our Queen?" resulted in the monarch returning to London.

Convention, protocol and the Windsor's old-fashioned stiff upper lip were jettisoned to ensure collective grief in the capital didn't mutate into republican anger.