A fresh insight has been given into King Charles’s “complex character” by ex-Met Police Chief Superintendent Dai Davies, who was also formerly the Head of Royal Protection.

Speaking on GB News, Mr Davies praised the King’s “huge human empathy”, after he spent his 75th birthday on Tuesday launching the Coronation Food Project in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

However he noted that His Majesty can be a difficult man when crossed, as the rift between him and his youngest son Prince Harry continues to widen.

Mr Davies spoke of his time working with the King: “I remember going to Dunblane with him when we were commemorating the tragic death and the shooting of all those children up there, and it showed me the empathy of the man and without whatever else he has, right or wrong, he has huge human empathy towards those less privileged.

“But he’s a complex character in my opinion, and if you cross him, as I understand it, you won’t get back in favour.”

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Mr Davies continued: “He’s an incredibly interesting individual. And I think he is getting on with the job of being King very well indeed, despite some of the misgiving some people may have had of it.”

Royal broadcaster Helena Chard also praised the King on his first year in the job: “I think he’s doing fantastically. He’s really, really good at what he does. He’s a real statesman. I think people really just doubted that he could go out and lead, and he surprised everybody.”

Charles has also had the undying support of his wife of 18 years, Queen Camilla, who after years of being vilified by the press and public has now been graciously accepted as monarch.

Sadly Charles’s relationship with Prince Harry cannot be described so positively, with Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame set to delve even further into the royal rift.

Initially due for an August release, Mr Scobie held the book back so he could add further details of the fallout surrounding Harry’s attendance at the Coronation in May, with his wife Meghan Markle choosing to stay in California for the event.

Endgame will be published in full on November 21, but has been serialised in the US in People magazine, with the first extracts being released today (November 15).