King Charles rips up the royal rulebook as he ditches Queen Elizabeth's beloved tradition

Royal summers aren't what they used to be. Gone are the days of spending almost three months away from the public eye, relaxing at Balmoral like the Queen used to do. Instead, the workaholic King is refusing to put his feet up for a prolonged period, as we saw last week when he travelled to Staffordshire to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

The monarch led the nation in honouring the sacrifices of those who served in the Far East and the Pacific during the Second World War. He kicked off the commemorations with a moving audio address where he echoed the words of his grandfather, King George VI, in paying tribute to those who helped defeat Japan.

The King and Queen then attended the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum, followed by a reception with VJ veterans and their families. It was a fitting tribute and an incredibly moving service in the midday sun.

Charles followed the example of his late mother by resuming duties to mark VJ day, with the late Queen issuing a message to mark the 75th anniversary during the covid pandemic in 2020, and attending a ceremony in London to mark the 70th anniversary.

But the King's three engagements on Friday reflect the Carolean era - the willing and readiness of the monarch to interrupt his summer break for official duties.

We saw it last year when the monarch travelled to Southport following the horror stabbbings that killed three girls. The King felt it was important to express his continued support for the Merseyside town following the attack and the disorder which followed.

As well as being more than happy to undertake engagements in August, his time in Scotland is also considerably shorter than that of his mother, who would travel up north from late July and stay until October.

But come mid-September, the King will be back with a bang as he welcomes US President Donald Trump to Windsor for an official state visit.

He won't be the only one who's thrown back in the deep end, as I'll have only just returned from a long weekend at an Austrian spa hotel. I think I might have been better off going to the wellness resort after the Trump show.

Is the Sussex's new Netflix deal really all it's cracked up to be? I'm in two minds. While it's a coup that they've been able to silence those who claimed the deal was 'dead in the water', it's hardly the all-singing and all-dancing deal they signed five years ago.

As a "first-look deal", Netflix will be able to say yes or no to their content, with no obligation to stream it.

Industry insiders have described the deal as a "downgrade" and a loosening of ties with the Sussexes.

But if the streaming giant wanted rid of them, it would have been easy enough to drop them.

So, the fact that a deal has been reached at all is significant, and it suggests that Netflix still considers both of them worthwhile investments.

Perhaps it's because Harry and Meghan continue to attract controversy, and as the old saying goes: There's no such thing as bad publicity.

Celebrating the beauty of Mother Nature continues to dominate the Princess of Wales's agenda. Last week, she released the second of her quarterly films, highlighting the changing seasons.

Kate does not appear in 'Summer', but she provides the voice-over for the two-minute film and says, "It has never been more important to appreciate the value of one another."

The princess is choosing to highlight the healing power of nature after finding solace in the countryside during her cancer journey.

She believes the great outdoors can help us reconnect with one another and ourselves.

And she's right, we should all make sure we're getting enough time away from our screens. Even just a 10-minute walk in the morning can make a big difference to both our physical and mental health.

Lord Mountbatten featured heavily in the King's VJ Day message, and it's no surprise given he was Charles's great-uncle.

The pair were close, and the British naval officer became an unofficial mentor to the future King.

In 2015, Charles referred to him as the "grandfather I never had" as he paid a moving visit to the site of Montbatten's death. He was murdered in August 1979 after IRA terrorists blew up his fishing boat off the coast of County Sligo, Ireland.

But in addition to taking a keen interest in the running of the Firm, Mountbatten had an impressive naval career. He was instrumental in defeating the Japanese offensive into India and the subsequent reconquest of Burma.

In September 1945, he received the Japanese surrender at Singapore, so it's fitting that the King paid tribute to him in his address on Friday.

On Friday we were treated to another new portrait of Princess Anne to celebrate her 75th birthday.

The image was taken last month at Gatcombe Park, her private residence in Gloucestershire, by photographer John Swannell.

He's taken official photographs of the Royal Family for over 25 years, including a charming black and white image of the late Princess Diana with her two young songs, Princes William and Harry and the official photograph of Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee.

Swannell's latest royal snap is just as majestic, and there's no doubt that blue is her colour.