King Charles III is the oldest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Despite growing up in palaces and having an enviable childhood, Charles did not have a close relationship with his parents. For example, at times, he would go months without seeing them.
King Charles’ parents were not emotionally close to him
According to biographer Kitty Kelley, when Charles was born in 1948, Queen Elizabeth wanted to be a hands-on mother. She reportedly said, via Vanity Fair, “I am going to be the child’s mother, not the nurses.”
However, things changed four years later when she ascended the throne. Queen Elizabeth became occupied with her work as a monarch and left Charles in the care of nannies. “Mummy [was] a remote and glamorous figure who came to kiss you goodnight, smelling of lavender and dressed for dinner,” Charles once said.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams also explained how this affected Charles:
“The relations between parents and children were very different in those days. And Princess Anne wasn’t troubled by it. But then she had a different character and, of course, was very much her father’s daughter. I do think he had very different needs and I think they weren’t capable [of meeting them].”
King Charles was separated from his parents for months at a time
Charles also couldn’t see his parents for months at a time. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip occasionally would go abroad without their children, such as on their 1953 tour of the Commonwealth that lasted six months.
Additionally, when Charles was a teenager, he was educated far away from home. His parents sent him to Gordonstoun School, a boarding school in Scotland, which was also Prince Philip’s alma mater.
By many accounts, Charles did not have a good time at Gordonstoun. Fellow schoolmate Johnny Stonborough even recalled that Charles was “badly bullied” by other students, according to Newsweek.
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King Charles’ children are trying to parent differently
It seems the next generation of royals is learning from their parents’ and grandparents’ mistakes. Both of Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, are trying to foster good relationships with their own kids.
For example, royal expert Jennie Bond said of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s family, “They both, William in particular, have spoken before about the importance of mental health and giving their children emotional intelligence and the space to tell their parents how they’re feeling and what their emotions are.”
Royal biographer Tom Quinn also believes William and Kate moved to Windsor recently to be close to William’s alma mater, Eton College, where they could eventually send their two sons. This means “their parents can see them more often,” Quinn speculated, according to Cosmopolitan.
Additionally, Prince Harry has been open about how his father’s lack of affection impacted him growing up. As a result, he now tries to be extra affectionate with his young children.
“It leaves me in the position now, as a father of two kids of my own, to make sure that I smother them with love and affection,” he said via The Independent. “Not smother them to the point where they’re trying to get away and I’m like, ‘No, come here I need to hug you.’”
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