I'm a royal expert and one thing was crystal clear about King Charles' 24-hour Canada trip

This week I’m reflecting on a whirlwind visit to Canada, where I joined the King and Queen as they spent less than 24 hours in the country. It involved an early morning wake-up call on Monday, a seven-hour flight and then a hasty exit from the back of the plane moments after landing to cover the handful of engagements across two locations in Ottawa.

By the time I got back to my hotel later that evening, I was exhausted and struggling to figure out what on earth the time was – let alone how Charles was feeling as a 76-year-old man who is undergoing regular cancer treatment. The next morning, having woken up several times during the night due to the five-hour time difference, my alarm went off at 6am as we had to be at the Senate of Canada building bright and early ahead of the King’s speech.

I observed the historic address from the press gallery above the King and Queen, before rushing to the National War Memorial opposite the Senate for the couple’s final engagement in Canada, described as a senior realm because it was the first to adopt the procedures of a Commonwealth country that recognises the monarch as its head of state.

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As the military band played their final tune, we hurried into the media bus, where we joined the convoy to the airport and headed back to RAF Brize Norton, some 22 hours after touching down in Canada.

The insane speed of the trip certainly tested my ability to file quickly, due to the time constraints and the challenges posed by the time difference. And how was I feeling on Wednesday, having got home at 3am? Exhausted – but honoured to bear witness to such an historic occasion.

As for the King, a senior royal source implied the demanding trip did not make a dent in his energy levels and he was busy going through Government boxes soon after the plane was in the air. Charles is simply “managing” his condition and “living life as normal as possible”, the insider said, adding that the King is dealing "incredibly well" with his undisclosed cancer.

"The thing you learn about this illness is that you just manage it and that's what he does,” they said. “The medical science has made incredible advances and I genuinely see no difference in him. As long as you just do what the doctors say, just live your life as normal as possible... that's exactly what he is doing."

The King’s ability to simply plough ahead with whatever is thrown at him is beyond admirable – but I guess he has been doing this job a lot longer than I have.

Dutiful Princess Anne took a leading role last week, as she met with medical staff who treated some of the 47 people who were injured when a car drove into crowds during a trophy parade celebrating Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory.

While the King and Queen were in Canada, Anne visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Tuesday, where she met nurses, consultants and paramedics, as well as representatives from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and the football club – all off whom dealt with the fall-out from Monday’s serious incident.

The hardworking royal was already due to be in Liverpool on Tuesday to visit the Cunard ship Queen Anne, so the hospital trip was added so that Anne could “share her heartfelt condolences and support for the families and communities affected”.

It was quite right that a senior royal marked the terrible incident that saw a celebratory event end with tragedy.

Horrific images showed a farmhouse at the former family home of Princess Diana engulfed in flames last week, leaving ruins in its place.

Earl Spencer posted pictures on social media of the inferno and its gutted remains the next morning, saying it had been destroyed in an apparent arson attack.

The building was unoccupied at the time, he said, adding it is "so very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do". Diana lived at Althorp House in her teenage years, from 1975-79, before moving to a flat in Coleherne Court, London and married Charles two years later. She is buried on a private island situated in the centre of Althorp's Oval Lake.

While in Canada last week, I was disappointed to see former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wearing bright green and orange trainers for the King’s historic speech in the Senate.

Some social media users rushed to point out that wearing ‘sneakers’ in Parliament is a current trend among Canadian politicians, but for me, the footwear reeked of disrespect.

Mr Trudeau strutted around the chamber like a celebrity, and when he sat down in the front row with his trainers on full display, he appeared to forget the magnitude of the occasion. Canada’s new PM Mark Carney, by contrast, was dressed soberly and respectfully in smart black shoes. No wonder Mr Trudeau is the former PM.