This Tuesday, April 30, marks the return of King Charles to his public duties after a period of convalescence due to his cancer treatment.
The announcement of his illness was made public by Buckingham Palace on February 5, revealing that the 75-year-old monarch had been diagnosed with cancer, the location of which has not yet been disclosed, following a prostate operation in January.
After months of treatment, the father of Princes William and Harry has returned his royal duties.
In one of his first public appearances, Charles visited the Macmillan Cancer Centre at University College Hospital in London with Camilla.
Known for his elegance, the King made an appearance in a navy blue pinstripe suit, complemented by a pocket square and a pink and blue tie decorated with dinosaurs.
What is the story behind King Charles’ dinosaur tie?
This tie, which has captured the imagination of the public and the media, has been part of the royal wardrobe since at least January 2023.
In that year, he was first photographed wearing the tie during a church service at Sandringham in Norfolk.
The choice of accessory has sparked curiosity, as the King usually prefers more traditional designs.
According to the Daily Mail, the tie was reportedly a Christmas present from his grandson, Prince Louis.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman suggests the tie may have symbolic significance, linking it to the official cipher ‘Charles III Rex’.
“With a blue dinosaur pattern on a pink silk background, it is a cheeky play on his official cipher, ‘Charles III Rex’. Staff know that when ‘C-Rex’ wears his ‘T-Rex’ tie, he probably has a spring in his step,” Hardman wrote for the outlet.
When King Charles ascended to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022, he adopted a new signature, “Charles R,” and a matching emblem, or cypher.
The “R” in “Charles R” stands for “Rex,” which means “king” in Latin and has been traditionally worn by monarchs since the 12th century.
The use of the dinosaur tie even caught the attention of the Natural History Museum in London, which commented on it on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
The museum posted a photo of King Charles wearing the tie next to an image of a T-Rex wearing a tie with the king’s face on it.
“Who wore it best?” the museum team asked on X.
“Great to see the King giving a cheeky nod to the King of Dinosaurs while on duty in this fantastic T. rex tie,” the museum team continued. “Our very own T. rex had chosen to wear his King Charles tie to greet visitors this morning! One of them will have to change…”
The post even prompted a response from the palace, which shared the montage on King Charles and Queen Camilla’s official website.
“Rex-cellent choice!” the courtiers wrote on May 1 with dinosaur emojis.
Rex-cellent choice! 🦖🦕 https://t.co/kMZZwcQrzF
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 1, 2024