Why Is Prince Charles Reportedly Making Secret Trips On Behalf Of The Queen?

Prince Charles has been quite busy! There's so much more for him to do as the queen ages and makes limited public appearances due to COVID-19 fears. Amid his busy schedule, Charles is also ensuring that he's regularly voicing his public opinions, such as the time when he pleaded with world leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions. At the opening ceremony of the COP26 event, Charles urged world leaders to put a value on carbon — an "absolutely critical" objective that would make carbon capture solutions more economical.

As next-in-line to the throne, Charles has also been trying to patch things up with his son, Prince Harry. The two have supposedly begun healing their relationship, which has been strained ever since Harry revealed intimate details about the royal family in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. One royal expert told Us Weekly that Charles is a "shy man" by nature and his way of managing emotional intensity remains rather different from his son — but that doesn't mean Charles doesn't care; he simply finds it "really difficult" to put on an emotional display.

But Charles' has many responsibilities vying for his attention. While he's surely worried about Harry's upcoming memoir, which might have much to reveal about their relationship, it seems Charles has also been making secret trips on behalf of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Here's more on why he has been making these trips.

Months after Prince Philip's death, Prince Charles is ensuring that he continues the work of his late father. According to Daily Mail, Charles has been making private visits to the Sandringham Estate, where the royal family traditionally celebrates Christmas. Charles has been overseeing the expansion work of the farm. According to the outlet, Philip permitted Charles to make the farm organic three years ago, and now he wants to further expand the operations. Charles has been busy making changes to the farm, which houses a large flock of 3,000 sheep and 500 cattle.

Earlier this year, Charles revealed his plans of turning the Sandringham farm into a "fully organic operation." He said in an interview with Country Life: "It has always seemed to me somewhat logical to embrace a farming system that works with Nature and not against her, thus restoring the lost fertility and carbon-sequestration capacity of the soil on which we rely for our very existence upon this planet."

Charles also wants to ensure that the farm is ready for a family Christmas, although one of the existing challenges would be managing COVID fears for the queen and the rest of the family. "Everyone will be asked to take a [COVID] test beforehand. Unless there are new restrictions brought into effect or it is deemed too unsafe for the queen, Christmas won't be canceled if it can be helped," a source told Daily Mail.