At 78, Charles is finally ruling his family – with Harry distanced and Andrew hidden

It’s taken a while, but finally it sounds normal. I mean the words “the King”. After seven decades of talking about “the Queen”, most of us now effortlessly refer to King Charles. The Prince has grown into his regal boots and metamorphosed into a monarch. As he celebrates his 78th birthday, King Charles can look back on the past year with some satisfaction. He has proved himself a skilled diplomat in tricky international waters, established a good working relationship with yet another UK Prime Minister and walked a perilous path through the shifting sands of his own family’s dramas. This has not, however, translated into popularity in opinion polls. The latest YouGov survey gave him a 58 per cent positive rating, which is slightly lower than when he became King and considerably lower than his late mother’s. Nevertheless, it far outstrips the popularity of any politician: even in his honeymoon period, Andy Burnham only scores 36 per cent. While political leaders come and go, the King has proved a steady hand on the tiller both as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth. He has navigated the sensitivities of Britain’s relationship with the bullish President Trump with skill and gentle humour. His speech to Congress during his visit to the States was regarded as a masterclass. His warning that executive power must be subject to checks and balances drew loud cheers from the Democrats. And, without specifically mentioning his own military service, he spoke with pride about the Royal Navy: a clear riposte to Trump’s derision of British warships as “toys” with aircraft carriers that “didn’t work”.His recent visit to the Caribbean was another challenge. In the face of growing demands for an apology and reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade, the King repeatedly spoke of his personal sorrow and horror about the past — but also reminded Commonwealth leaders that the Royal Navy had played an important role in ending the transport of slaves across the Atlantic. It can’t be entirely comfortable to visit countries who openly proclaim that they no longer want you as their Head of State, but the King has made it clear that it is for each nation to decide on its own destiny. And so far, despite much debate, he hasn’t been ditched by any of his “realms“. It will undoubtedly happen sooner or later but, during the late Queen’s reign, 17 countries became republics. Alongside all of this, and his day-to-day work here in the UK, King Charles has also had to deal with a string of family crises. In February, his disgraced brother, Andrew, was arrested; in the summer, Harry and his family unexpectedly relocated to the UK; in September, Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, published a bombshell memoir, and this month Meghan’s father faced lurid allegations of child sexual abuse (which he denies). The King has shown himself to be decisive as head of the family. He has stripped Andrew of his status and his home and he has steered a careful path with the Sussexes, keeping his distance until trust can be restored, but maintaining contact with them. He repudiated the accusations in Earl Spencer’s book with a classic put-down about “grief clouding memory”, and I believe he has shown sympathy to Meghan after her father’s arrest. He’s had to balance his gradual reconciliation with Harry with the implacable stance William has adopted towards his brother. It’s a delicate and awkward dilemma for a parent: another tightrope for Charles to walk. So far, he seems to have kept both sons on board, but patching up his relationship with Harry and Meghan remains a work in progress. Charles is the boss, in more ways than one. And, as he enters his 79th year, still undergoing cancer treatment but as enthusiastic as ever about his work, he deserves to raise a glass with the wife who has brought him untold happiness.