A tough schedule, but it gives the king more energy, writes REBECCA ENGLISH

For a moment, Charles’s shoulders sagged and he closed his reddened eyes in obvious exhaustion.

Sitting in the drawing room of Government House in Canberra, it was an understandable sign of human frailty as he battled through crowds of thousands and battling 25-degree heat for his sixth battle of the day.

But this nanosecond respite soon ended. Up close, I watched the king in his final “snatch and grin” of the day (as they call it in the business), as he smiled cheerfully and wiggled his eyebrows in a friendly manner, as if to say, “Here we go again.”

Make no mistake, this visit to Australia and Samoa was a titanic undertaking for the monarch, who turns 76 next month and had to put cancer treatment on hold to travel.

His supposedly “stripped-down” program, including only one formal evening event in ten days, continued to be mercilessly punishing. Still, the tour gave him energy.

Thousands of hands were shaken. Kisses and hugs were accepted unconsciously. And every well-wisher greeted as if he were the first.

The look on Charles’s face as he starred in a crowd of 10,000 cheering for him at the Sydney Opera House was that of a man exclaiming, “Really? For me?’

For someone who had suffered for so long from introspection and almost crippling self-doubt, this was an extremely rewarding experience.

In Australia he came to a country where he had no hope of being welcomed – and, if some opinion polls are to be believed, very little hope of ever winning its favor.

Indeed, many skeptics predicted that support for the monarchy would quickly weaken after Queen Elizabeth’s death, and the arrival of her significantly less popular son would only seal the deal.

In fact, in many ways the opposite is true. Australians, even those who are ambivalent about the monarchy, have opened their arms to this complex but amazingly courageous man.

The crowds were significantly larger—and much warmer—than anyone expected. Media coverage was intense and there were virtually no demonstrations on the ground.

In Samoa, he was hailed as the “Supreme Chief” and was praised for his lifelong leadership on environmental issues. Commonwealth leaders, meanwhile, praised him as someone with whom to have difficult conversations about difficult issues.

A senior courtier recently told me that the British monarchy is like Doctor Who – constantly being reborn. That’s why it lasted 1000 years.

And while he may be a King rather than a Time Lord, it’s clear that Charles’s transformation into a thoughtful constitutional monarch who finally earns respect can no longer be science fiction.