CHUCKLING CHARLES Intimate snaps of the grandpa Prince
“GRANDPA Wales” likes a good giggle as these candid images of him show.
He was captured enjoying a funny moment with his sister Princess Anne and beaming with delight when his youngest grandchild, baby Louis, grabbed his nose.
Actress Dame Judi Dench is also seen laughing uproariously in his company when she attended a reception with her partner David Mills at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
Released to mark Prince Charles’ 70th birthday last week, the heartwarming photographs show him looking happy, relaxed, chatting, laughing, reflective and enjoying quiet moments.
Photographer Chris Jackson, who has pictured Charles for the past 15 years, shot the latest collection, in a year of exclusive access to him at work, rest and play.
“He has a great sense of humour,” Mr Jackson said. “I think that comes across in a lot of these photographs. That’s just him being him. I don’t think it’s something he puts on for the camera, you couldn’t do it across so many facets of your life.
“They see him as very serious, which he is. But I would like people to see the lighter side of him.”
This is seen in one taken of him with his wife Camilla, sons Princes William and Harry, their wives Kate and Meghan, and the Cambridge children George, five, Charlotte, three and six-month-old Louis in the gardens of Clarence House in September.
It shows Charles, with George on his knee, laughing as Louis, who is held by Kate, reaches for his nose.
The photographer said Charlotte had earlier swung on his arms and Prince Harry had grabbed the handkerchief away from the top pocket of his jacket. “It was lovely chaos with the children,” Mr Jackson said. “He is a very hands-on grandfather. He was holding hands with George and Charlotte, and bouncing Louis up and down.
“George was very happy on the prince’s knee. They have a great relationship. This is someone with a sense of pride for his family and what his children are achieving.”
Another image shows him sharing a joke with Prince William and Prince Harry as they mark the 100th anniversary of the RAF with a Buckingham Palace photoshoot in April.
All three are dressed in their RAF uniforms for a formal shot used in a commemorative stamp. In this image taken later it shows them all laughing.
Mr Jackson said: “There is a warmth and affection between father and sons. It’s a fun relationship, there’s banter. They’re all different characters, but they gel well.” Charles is all smiles again as he leads the royal family to the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Buckingham Palace in April.
The Queen is listening intently to what he is saying, while behind him Camilla and Prince William and Prince Edward’s wife Sophie share lighthearted conversation.
The heir to the throne is later seen laughing with Princess Anne, who has her eyes closed and head thrown back in mirth.
The collection also shows Charles being served tea in a sitting room at Dumfries House in May, and, working alone in the gardens at Highgrove, near Tetbury, Gloucs.
Charles, a passionate environmentalist, is also seen tipping a bucket of feed out for his Burford brown and Maran chickens at Highgrove.
OUR pictures today of the heir to the throne are heartwarming. Has Prince Charles ever looked so happy or relaxed? Charles is not just a prince: he is a husband, father and grandfather. And it is these roles that have clearly brought him the greatest content.