King Charles' bizarre 'acrobat' handstands for back pain at Balmoral Castle revealed by Prince Harry

King Charles III completed handstands in his 'boxers' daily at the Scottish royal residence, Prince Harry has claimed in his new memoir

King Charles' bizarre 'acrobat' handstands for back pain at Balmoral Castle revealed by Prince Harry
(Image credit: Getty)

King Charles III performed handstands in his 'boxers' like an 'acrobat' to manage his neck and back pain, Prince Harry has claimed in his new memoir, Spare


King Charles III looked like an 'acrobat' as he completed handstands in his 'boxers', Prince Harry has claimed in his bombshell new memoir. 

Writing in Spare, the Duke of Sussex describes how His Majesty would do the exercises every day at Balmoral Castle to ease the pain of his polo injuries. 

Charles, 74, famously retired from the equestrian sport in 2005, just a few months after his civil wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles. At the time, Clarence House explained that the former prince had made the decision "regretfully" but felt that "the time was right." 

Harry has now claimed that his father performed special exercises every day to alleviate his aches and pains, which had accumulated over 40 years of playing his beloved polo. The King endured many accidents during his time on the field, breaking his right arm in 1990 and even falling unconscious in 2001 after being knocked off the horse. 

King Charles

(Image credit: Getty)

"Prescribed by his physio, these exercises were the only effective remedy for the constant pain in Pa’s neck and back," Harry writes. "He performed them daily, in a pair of boxers, propped against a door or hanging from a bar like a skilled acrobat." 

The recollection hit headlines shortly after Prince Charles' ridiculous routine, which involves having his shoelaces ironed and his toothpaste squeezed, was revealed by a former royal butler. 

Prince Harry, 38, also recalled that he feared walking in on his father mid-exercises at the famous Scottish residence. 

Prince Harry

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)

"Balmoral had 50 bedrooms, one of which had been divided for me and Willy," he wrote. "Open the wrong door and you might burst in on Pa while his valet was helping him dress.

"You might blunder in as he was doing his headstands," said Harry. "If you set one little finger on the knob you would hear him begging from the other side, ‘No! No! Don’t open! Please God don’t open!'" 

Elsewhere in Spare, Prince Harry described Meghan Markle's 'awkward' lipgloss moment that allegedly left Kate Middleton 'grimacing' and detailed how he would shop for his clothes in TK Maxx's "annual sale."

Emma Dooney
News and lifestyle writer

Emma is a Lifestyle News Writer for Goodto. Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, she mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.