Sunday 18 September 2022 11:05 PM Charles's first ten days as King: He has travelled the length and breadth of ... trends now

Over the past ten days King Charles III has led the country in mourning and travelled some 1,900 miles as the new monarch – all while grieving his ‘darling mama’.

His demanding schedule has seen him journey from castle to cathedral, and walkabout to reception, in more than 30 engagements across the land since the Queen’s death.

And even yesterday as he prepared to bury his mother, the King was working until the last moment on the eve of her funeral.

After holding meetings with Prime Minister Liz Truss and leaders of the realms, His Majesty last night hosted a huge official state reception at Buckingham Palace. He welcomed world leaders and foreign royals who had arrived to pay their respects to the late Queen.

Accompanied by senior working royals, His Majesty hosted VIPS including US President Joe Biden and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau late into the evening. It was the last of his engagements ahead of the funeral.

Those engagements were laid out long ago in a detailed ten-day plan for the aftermath of the Queen’s death. Codenamed London Bridge, the operation featured dozens of events marking the farewell to the Queen as well as the King’s accession to the throne.

Little could have prepared the King for such an emotional and exhausting schedule. The past week has seen His Majesty dash around on a tour through Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, accompanied by Camilla, the Queen Consort. In between his duties as the new monarch, he has led the Royal Family in honouring the Queen in a string of ceremonial events watched by the world.

The meticulously-timed strategy was put into action with the words ‘London Bridge is down’ when the Queen died on September 8.