King Charles' 'disappointment' as health fears force big change to Trooping the Colour

King Charles may have experienced a tinge of "disappointment" at this year's Trooping the Colour, due to a significant alteration, a Royal commentator claims.

Grant Harrold, an ex-royal butler and commentator, has expressed his belief that King Charles, despite basking in the public's affection, might have been disappointed by not being able to ride on horseback during the ceremony. Following a cancer scare earlier in February, the King had to abandon his usual tradition.

Mr Harrold said: "I think Charles will be slightly disappointed that he's not on horseback as it's something he's always done over the years. We should remember that the Queen, when she was 60 years old, in 1986, swapped from horseback to carriage"

Reflecting on the age gap between the current King and the Queen at the time of her transition, Mr Harrold added: "The King is now 75, so he's considerably older than the Queen was when the change was made with her - whether this is a normal move and intentional because of his age is quite possible, but he's very traditional. Kings in the past were always on horseback, so I can imagine Charles would have wanted to follow suit - we may see him switch back to horseback as a result in the coming years, time will tell. Charles won't be feeling nervous for today's events, he's used to these types of events and he doesn't ever really get nervous in these situations."

As well as this, Mr Harrold claims Kate Middleton likely faced some "nervousness" yet felt "happy" to resume her Royal commitments that she had to put on hold during her cancer treatment.

Royal expert Mr Harrold suggested that the Duchess might have experienced anxiety about her first public appearance since announcing her battle with cancer. The 42 year old Duchess commanded attention as she arrived in a car alongside Prince William and their three children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

For this marked return, Kate was radiant in a stunning Jenny Packham dress, which she teamed with a Philip Treacy hat and the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch, representing her position as the Colonel of the regiment.

Mr Harrold told OK!: "Kate will be happy to be back in the public eye. She's always taken her Royal duties very seriously and she carries them out with such confidence too. I'm sure she's been wanting to engage with the public and fulfil her duties, so the thought of getting back out there today, she'll no doubt be pleased about."

"It's certainly a big moment for her, and her family, and there's bound to be an element of nervousness felt among them all - Kate especially. I do think as pleased as she'll be to be back out there, she'll also be feeling cautious too. Hopefully, there won't be any setbacks and it's great to see her doing her first public outing. The reception she's had from the public and the crowds gathered has been amazing, seeing her alongside the Royals again clearly means a lot to the public and knowing Kate, it will mean a lot to her too."