Camilla uses secret gestures to keep King Charles III in check: author

Queen Consort Camilla uses touch to pacify King Charles III when he is in a bad mood or help him stick to schedules during public appearances, according to royal biographer Gyles Brandreth.

The author of "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait" shared his observations on how the Duchess of Cornwall keeps her husband in check. He said when His Majesty gets frustrated, she touches him gently on the back to calm him down.

"When he gets tetchy - because the pen doesn't work, as it didn't when he was signing a document at Hillsborough Castle in County Down - she soothes him, putting out a hand and kneading him gently in the small of his back," he said according to the Daily Star.

During public engagements when she notices that "he is running late or talking too much, she tugs discreetly at the back of his jacket – sometimes quite vigorously."

The 74-year-old Brandreth, who has long been friends with the royal couple, said Camilla is "fundamental to the architecture" of King Charles III's life. She is His Majesty's "good companion and best friend" and with Prince William and Prince Harry having families of their own, "she is the only person in the entire world with whom he can be completely free and open."

"Camilla is his strength and stay, the ally who knows him better than anyone and, now that he's King, the only person who can still treat him as an equal," he continued.

The biographer shared that he has watched Camilla and King Charles III "at close quarters – at Highgrove, before they were married and since, at Clarence House, at Buckingham Palace." He noticed how much the monarch adores his wife saying, "In small talk, he mentions 'my darling wife' in almost every sentence. She looks at him with a kindly eye, amused and aware of his foibles."

Brandreth said that Camilla has "accepted her destiny" although "she did not seek it" because she "has never wanted a place centre stage." He is adamant that she will follow Prince Philip, who "never over-reached himself" when he served as consort to Queen Elizabeth II. He noted that the duke "always made sure he walked one step behind Her Majesty" and said of Camilla, "Watch closely and you will see Camilla does exactly the same."