Urquhart in “Unfinished Business”

[of the King] No manners in the ordinary sense, no small talk, no apparent sense of irony. It's all tremendously interesting, but he wants to do this every week. He'll have to realize the lonely hearts club is all very well, but I can't fritter my time away in idle chatter. I have to run the country for one thing. And at this rate our royal friend's going to make that more and more like the Chief Whip's job. A pat on the head and a biscuit here, a short, sharp shock there and a good boot up the backside where indicated.