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    Inside royal engagements, the very strict breakdown of events - and what happens when it goes wrong

    The attention to detail is paramount

    Maisie Bovingdon's avatar
    By Maisie Bovingdon
    Published 16 July 2022 In News

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    (Image credit: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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    The attention to detail is paramount

    When it comes to royal engagements, we have an understanding they are planned well in advance, and run to a tight schedule.

    Whether it is the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, royals attending a new opening, or other royal event, it runs to a fine order not to be put out of place, and with every minute accounted for.

    Prince's Trust member, life coach and presenter Anna Williamson shared all the goings on at this year's Prince's Trust Awards, and her meeting with Prince Charles - who has been hailed the "most influential" person in the land - which was held in London back in May.

    Speaking on her podcast with Luisa Zissman titled LuAnna The Podcast, Anna said: "I did the Prince's Trust Awards, which was so much fun.

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    "What was brilliant about this, and so interesting is Prince Charles' schedule. Seriously, the life of a royal, is not a life I'd like to live.

    "With Prince Charles, I have done hundreds of Prince's Trust gigs, I've met Prince Charles many a time.

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    "Did you know his schedule is literally minute by minute done every day? We know when we do an event, the red carpet gets cleared at 1.30pm, and we know Prince Charles' schedule, it goes 1.31pm HRH arrives, 1.32pm HRH gets out the car, 1.34pm first greeting."

    However, things didn't quite run to the strict schedule everyone was briefed on, which threw quite a spanner in the works.

    The Celebs Go Dating guru continued: "You can imagine the chaos when Prince Charles was seven minutes early. This doesn't happen in his schedule. It is an interesting event to host to know how security and how the whole thing works for a future King - it's quite impressive.

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    "I was hosting with a lovely chap from KISS FM called Tyler [West], we do it every year. We were in the foyer and given your orders on where to stand, and do your little protocol, and do your curtsey.

    "Charles is such a sweet man, he's so personable, kind of like meeting a friend of your dad's. But he was seven minutes early.

    "Suddenly, I said to Tyler 'Where are we supposed to be standing we are not with everybody else?' It was literally the two of us standing in the foyer, nobody else, because everybody else scarpered except for officials and security. We've seen Andrew Lloyd Webber, who owns the theatre, who was going to be presenting with Prince Charles. He went 'Oh too late he's here.' Because [Charles] was running seven minutes early, and literally nothing stops, once Prince Charles goes, he goes, there's no 'Can we hold on a minute?', it's a constant moving force.

    "We've seen Charles arrive, and he comes in with Andrew Lloyd-Webber. It's a bit like Devil Wears Prada where Meryl Streep's character has to look to her assistant, Anne Hathaway, to do the introductions, that's who Charles has so he knows who he is going to see - he doesn't he's just well briefed.

    "He walks in, and though he's met us hundreds of times before, he looks to his left and there's no-one there, none of his aides are there, because he is running early, and everyone has s**t themselves trying to get everyone in order.

    A photo posted by on

    "Me and Tyler are standing there in the foyer, the most random moment of my life, Prince Charles obviously thinks 'S**t I'm flying solo' and starts to wing it. Tyler, I, and Andrew Lloyd Weber just said 'Nice to see you sir', and he went with it. It was a bizarre interaction of this weird hand fist bumping moment going on.

    "[Charles] goes 'It's wonderful to see you again, and thank you for everything you do for my trust.'"

    The hilarious moment of Tyler working on a new handshake has been shared on Anna's Instagram account, which has racked up over 5,000 likes.

    Maisie Bovingdon
    Maisie Bovingdon
    Social Links Navigation

    Maisie is a writer and editor, covering Royal News, Showbiz, Lifestyle content, as well as Shopping Writing and E-Commerce, for print and digital publications, including Marie Claire, Hello!, Fabulous, Mail Online and Yahoo!. 

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