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A former member of the Royal household has described King Charles's handling of an "awkward situation" as a "masterclass" in diplomacy. The moment unfolded when King Charles came face-to-face with legendary rock star Sir Rod Stewart at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this week.

Charles was at the iconic venue to mark the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust. Sir Rod, meanwhile, was performing his classic hits "Ooh La Laa" and "Good Rockin' Tonight" alongside former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood. Prior to taking to the stage, the pair were given the opportunity to shake hands with the King. It was at this point that Sir Rod seized the moment to comment on the King's recent visit to America, during which the monarch had aimed a string of jokes at President Donald Trump.

Speaking directly to the King, Sir Rod said: "May I say well done in the Americas, you were superb, absolutely superb. You really put that little rat bag in his place."

On the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential podcast, former royal author Richard Kay, the paper's Editor-At-Large, was asked what must have been going through the King's mind following the Maggie May singer's candid remark.

He replied: "Are the cameras whirring? Are the mics picking this up? He knows in his heart of hearts that the answer is almost certainly yes, but he's a master at these kind of awkward situations but he always knows he doesn't want to make the situation worse, and he effortlessly moved on.

"We couldn't actually hear what remark he, Charles, made to Stewart because his back was to the camera but he is practiced at this sort of thing happening in public life and he rarely makes a false move."

Meanwhile, former Buckingham Palace press secretary Ailsa Anderson, who served Queen Elizabeth II between 2001 and 2013, suggested the King would be well-prepared for such encounters.

She added: "Hopefully there's no microphones or cameras whirling but if you comment on it, you're just going to escalate the story and draw attention to it, so the best thing is to ignore it. And, of course, the king could deliver a masterclass on it."

Elsewhere, the King remained in high spirits this week, joking about growing older at a Buckingham Palace garden party. During the walkabout, the monarch stopped to chat with Virginia Cavill, who was seated in a wheelchair after a recent fall had left her with a broken ankle.

He made light of the trials of ageing, telling Ms Cavill: "This is the trouble as you get older, I know it's going to happen to me."

Ms Cavill then enquired about Charles's own health, to which he gave a slight smile. "I'm OK, I totter along," he replied.

The King was accompanied by Queen Camilla at Tuesday's garden party. Approximately 8,000 guests received invitations to the occasion, which marked the third of the season.