King Charles Is Happier Than Ever Doing One Duty, Says Expert

King Charles laughing as he talks to fans — (Image credit: Alamy)

The Royal Family’s annual break at Balmoral Castle has official begun, and King Charles kicked off his summer stay with a traditional ceremony at the castle gates on Tuesday, August 18. The King traveled solo to Scotland as Queen Camilla took on royal duties back home, including a trip to York Racecourse on Wednesday, and one royal expert says that Charles “is at his most happy” in the Highlands.

The King, dressed in a classic tartan kilt with a vest and suit jacket, arrived to inspect the Royal Regiment of Scotland’s Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, along with their adorable Shetland pony mascot, Corporal Cruachan IV. While greeting members of the public gathered doutside the gates, a relaxed King Charles was seen sharing jokes with fans, and body language expert Darren Stanton noted the monarch appeared “totally at home.”

Speaking to Betfair Casino, Stanton shared that like Queen Elizabeth, Balmoral is where King Charles is at his happiest—but King Charles has also had a shift in his behavior overall since taking the throne.

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King Charles shaking hands with a fan at Balmoral — The King greets fans outside Balmoral Castle on August 18.

King Charles in a kilt waving in front of a car — The King waves to the public as he starts his Balmoral break.

“In terms of his body language, years ago you would have never seen him this happy to do walkabouts greeting the crowds—especially when he is on holiday,” Stanton said. “He used to do them but now you can see he really enjoys them.”

During his visit, King Charles chatted with soldiers and nearly got bit by the mischievous pony, who had several similar run-ins with Queen Elizabeth in her day.

Stanton said The King showed “genuine” contentedness with his expressions while exchanging banter with soldiers and the crowd. “He seems incredibly confident, there are no pacifying gestures, he isn’t fiddling with his cufflinks, or covering his torso,” the body language expert continued. “This confidence comes from feeling totally at home—the enjoyment he gets from being at Balmoral is evident in every movement.”

Noting how the crowd mirrored King Charles’s upbeat mood, Stanton added, “I genuinely don’t think he has ever been so popular.”

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.