King Charles mutters 'dear oh dear' to under-fire Liz Truss as pair meet for weekly audience

13 October 2022, 06:57 | Updated: 4 November 2022, 09:42

King Charles was filmed muttering "dear oh dear" to under-fire Prime Minister Liz Truss as the pair met for their weekly audience.

Charles met Liz Truss on Wednesday evening at Buckingham Palace.

Ms Truss curtsied and said: "Your Majesty."

Charles, smiling, replied: "Back again?

"Dear oh dear."

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Ms Truss was then heard to say: "It's a great pleasure."

Separately, on Wednesday afternoon Charles also met the King and Queen of Malaysia, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong.

When asked how "embarrassing" the remark was by LBC's Nick Ferrari, foreign secretary James Cleverly said is was intended as "empathetic statement".

"When one says 'dear, dear', it's not a message of support, is it?" Asked Nick.

"I think you're trying to paint that as a political statement," said the MP.

"I view it as much more an empathetic statement to someone, to a leader of our country... [Charles] recognises that all of us, and everyone in the country, is dealing with a really, really tough winter ahead."

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It came after Ms Truss faced Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament, where she insisted she will not cut spending to balance the books as economists and the financial markets continued to question her plans.

Ms Truss told MPs she is "absolutely" not planning public spending reductions, but insisted taxpayers' money will be used well.

Senior advisers then turned on her over her economic plans, telling her she needs to rip up the latest mini Budget and raise corporation tax in order to restore market confidence in her government.

Officials warned that it is "no longer credible" to keep pushing on with big tax cuts without risking a financial crisis that would further drive up government borrowing and mortgages.

And despite Downing Street insisting the tax cuts will go ahead, one government source said privately "that could change" after Ms Truss ruled out reducing public spending.

A senior government source told The Times that the advice from senior civil servants was that the government’s position was no longer credible and "won’t hold".

Another confirmed that Ms Truss was aware of officials' views but stressed "no final decision" had been made before Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's financial statement on October 31.

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"The Chancellor will only get one opportunity to land his plans and the forecast positively," said Mel Stride, chairman of the Treasury select committee.

"He must take no chances.

"There is too much at stake for all of us."