Charles breaks cover: King appears in high spirits as he heads to church in Sandringham following claims he’s a ‘pampered’ monarch who ‘has his shoelaces ironed’ in Omid Scobie’s new book

• The King, 75, was spotted going to Sunday service as normal in Sandringham
• READ MORE: Omid Scobie’s book is understood to include of volley of withering criticisms of the Royal Family. Royal Correspondent NATASHA LIVINGSTONE sifts fact from fiction… 

King Charles appeared in high spirits this afternoon, despite bombshell claims in a new book claiming he is a ‘pampered’ monarch.

The monarch, who recently celebrated his 75th birthday, was spotted attending Sunday service at church in Sandringham, Norfolk, in a business-as-usual attitude following incendiary claims – and he beamed as he strolled through the grounds.

It follows claims from royal biographer Omid Scobie, whose new book Endgame is published on Tuesday, that the King has his shoelaces ironed for him.

Mr Scobie, who is considered close to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but has denied being their ‘friend’, also claimed the King likes to have one inch of toothpaste squeezed onto his toothbrush and travels around with fresh steamed bed linen.

Despite the claims, the impeccably-dressed King walked with purpose to St Mary Magdalene church this morning, where he shook the vicar’s hand ahead of the service.

King Charles has broken cover in Sandringham after bombshell claims emerged in Omid Scobie’s book that he is a ‘pampered’ royal

An extract from the 42-year-old Scobie’s new book Endgame published in The Sun reads: ‘When laces get even the smallest bit threadbare, a staff member must quickly switch them out with a fresh, ironed pair.

‘There is even a rumour (one that, surprisingly, sources have confirmed) that Charles likes to have someone squeeze exactly one inch of toothpaste on to his toothbrush for him ahead of his bedtime routine.’

Other claims in the book, leaked to The Sun on Sunday, say the monarch branded Prince Harry ‘that fool’ when the Duke of Sussex revealed details of the family’s feuds in a Netflix documentary.

The King appeared in high spirits as he smiled and waved while meeting the vicar outside St Mary Magdalene Church

It follows bombshell claims made in Omid Scobie’s book Endgame, which have been shared with The Sun on Sunday

Scobie writes one aide said the show ‘took the wind out of everyone’s sails’ while there were ‘heads in hands’ at the Palace with ‘migraines brewing’.

Buckingham Palace said it did not wish to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

The latest plug comes after Scobie launched a snide attack on the Princess of Wales – portraying her as a woman terrified to do anything but grinning photo opportunities.

In an interview published today to plug his latest book, author Omid Scobie says: ‘The small achievements that we’ve seen from the Princess of Wales wouldn’t perhaps be noticed if it was from another member of the Royal Family, but with Kate it’s like ‘wow!’ ‘

His cruel swipe – described by a friend of the Princess as ‘horribly unjust’ – will infuriate the Royal Family.

Insiders said that in the past few years the Princess – intelligent, hard-working and passionate about the causes she promotes – has proved popular with the public.

But in a telling indication of the scornful tone of the new book, Scobie says that ‘we infantilise [Kate] massively so the bar is always lower’.

Today’s Sunday Times says that in the book the Princess is ‘portrayed as a woman terrified to do anything more than grinning photo ops’.

In the past, Scobie, 42, has been dubbed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ‘mouthpiece’ for his sympathetic portrayal of the couple.

His new book Endgame, a full-frontal assault on their perceived enemies, is expected to further widen the rift between Harry and his family.

Leaked extracts seen by The Mail on Sunday paint an unflattering picture of King Charles, with Scobie judging him ‘a flawed father’ and a backstabber – and accusing him of effectively sanctioning leaks about his sons to the press.

Predictably, William also comes under fire. The author says he is increasingly in cahoots with Palace courtiers who dream up dirty tricks.

By Scobie’s account the Prince of Wales uses his aides and their press contacts to paint his younger brother as emotionally fragile.

Endgame also suggests William and Kate found the merciless lampooning of the Sussexes on the American animated satire South Park earlier this year ‘very funny’. William, it adds, disliked Meghan from the start.

And the book says the King thought his son was a ‘fool’ for making a soul-baring Netflix documentary which claimed his father told ‘lies’ and his brother ‘screamed and shouted’ at the Sandringham Summit that resulted in the Sussexes leaving for the US.

Writing of what he sees as a power struggle between the favoured Prince and the ‘unpopular’ King, Scobie claims Charles is jealous of William’s position and knows that while his reign will be merely transitional, his eldest son will have time to breathe new life into the monarchy. 

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