A father’s bond
How Charles and William became closer than ever
It is a royal picture that speaks a thousand words about the bond between a prince and his Papa. Beaming for the camera, rarely have we seen a more intimate portrait of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge together. Taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, whose Royal Family album is fast rivalling Patrick Lichfield’s, the touching shot shows Charles resting his head on his eldest son’s shoulder, huge beaming smiles on both of their faces.
Revealing a father and son relaxed in their affection for one another, the photograph was released by Clarence House to mark Father’s Day on Sunday.
Yet for both would-be kings, the sweet image marks an even more significant milestone in what hasn’t always been an easy relationship. The warmth which so obviously zings between father and son seems to signify a laying to rest of the ghosts of William’s childhood and any soreness he has felt towards his father after witnessing the fallout out of his parents’ separation as a 10-year-old boy.
Now a father of three in his late 30s, with Charles willingly playing the role of doting grandfather, there is a sense that William has not only forgiven him for the mistakes of the past, but also woken up to the fact his father has been as much of a positive influence as Diana, the late Princess of Wales.
It is quite a different scene than even just three years ago. The world was commemorating the 20th anniversary of his mother’s death and William was reluctant to acknowledge his father’s role in his and Harry’s upbringing following the Paris car crash in 1997. Charles’s aides “begged” William to
give him the nod when he addressed journalists before the screening of ITV
documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy in 2017 but he refused.
As Penny Junor, the royal author, explains: “Diana shared an awful lot of her misery with William. He knew that Camilla was the woman who caused her to be so unhappy – yet equally he knew that Camilla was the woman who made his father happy, so it was extremely difficult for him.”
Charles’s only mention came in another documentary for the BBC that year, when it was left to Harry to pay tribute to his father for his attempts to comfort them in the aftermath of Diana’s death, saying: “He was there for us, he was the one out of two left and he tried to do his best and to make sure we were protected and looked after.”
As William became closer to Kate’s parents, father and son relations hit an all-time low when a previously unseen photograph of Prince George appeared in a video broadcast featuring the heir to the throne. According to insiders, William “hit the roof ” and for a period, relations between father and his first born cooled, as Charles’s bond with Harry strengthened.
When Meghan Markle came onto the scene in 2016, she actively fostered a good relationship with her future father-in-law, with whom she shares a love of yoga and spiritual healing. And with her fractured relationship with her own father in mind, she encouraged Harry to be as close as possible to “the only parent you have left.” When Meghan’s father couldn’t be there, it was Charles who walked Meghan down the aisle and Harry said he was “very grateful” to his father for stepping in.
However, the happiness of that glorious May day was not to last long, and the couple’s Windsor wedding sparked acrimony between the Sussexes and the Cambridges. As their mutual friend Tom Bradby, the ITV News anchor, later put it: “The fallout began at the time of the wedding in 2018. Really damaging things were said and done. The atmosphere soured hard and early, but few meaningful attempts were made by anyone to heal the wounds.” Charles was placed in the invidious position of having to play peacemaker to his warring sons.
Seemingly at odds with the family “Firm”, it was soon Harry and Meghan who were starting to feel marginalised as William and Charles worked together in a bid to insulate the monarchy from a crisis which threatened to pitch the Sussexes in direct competition with the House of Windsor.
Behind palace gates, Charles was increasingly involving William in his decision making – much to the chagrin of Harry, who felt pushed out. He also resented William for what he perceived as “pulling rank”. After all, Diana had insisted they be brought up as “equals”.
The final straw for Harry came with the new year release of a photograph showing the Queen and her three heirs – Charles, William and George.
By then Harry and Meghan had already decided they wanted to step down as senior royals and Harry felt compelled to telephone the Queen about their growing unhappiness after being repeatedly rebuffed by his father’s aides.
The drama that ensued thrust William and Charles together as they worked with the Queen to find a solution – just as they had two months earlier when Prince Andrew was forced to “step back from public duties for the foreseeable future” over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Insiders now describe the three generations of monarchy working in “lockstep”, with the Sussexes’ departure said to have fostered a “new found spirit of cooperation” between the households.
And just as marriage and fatherhood have been the making of William, becoming a grandparent has also helped workaholic Charles to mellow a little. During a BBC documentary to mark his father’s 70th birthday last November, it was significant that William spoke regretfully about the lack of time Charles had spare to spend with George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.
He admitted: “I think now he’s reached his 70th year, it’s a perfect time to consolidate a little bit because, as most families would do, you are worried about having them around and making sure their health is OK. So, having more time with him at home would be lovely, and being able to, you know, play around with the grandchildren. When he’s there, he’s brilliant, but we need him there as much as possible.”
There is also another important, and often overlooked, factor in the closer bond between William and Charles: Kate – the woman who has tamed a stubborn prince, once so often at loggerheads with his father. Although often quick to praise their mother’s legacy, William’s quest to bring about lasting change in areas such as mental health not only echoes her work but is becoming increasingly reminiscent of long-term projects of his father’s like the Prince’s Trust.
As Junor puts it: “The Middletons have been a really stabilising influence and I think have helped William to realise the importance of family. Not only has William become more grounded since becoming a parent but you can tell he is really enjoying fatherhood. And it’s the same with Kate. She’s proving herself to be a really good wife and mother as well as being good at the job.”
Little wonder, then, that the second-in-line to the throne seems so happy with his lot. His smile tells you everything you need to know.
Charles was put in the position of playing peacemaker to his warring sons