GROWING IN CONFIDENCE
Charles has come a long way since the shy, lonely boy who was bullied at boarding school and wrote letters home describing his misery.
“They throw slippers at me all night long or hit me with pillows or rush across the room and hit me as hard as they can,” he said in one letter.
A sensitive soul, he felt let down by his mother who was often away on tours during his childhood. He also felt pushed by his father, Prince Philip, who wanted him to “man up” and embrace the hardships of boarding school as he’d done.
But he’s grown into himself over the years and knows what he wants. “He’s pretty impatient,” Camilla admitted in a TV interview to mark her husband’s 70th birthday. “He wants things done by yesterday. That’s how he gets things done.”
The king often comes across as serious but he has a playful side to him too, his wife says. “He gets down on his knees and plays with the grandchildren, reading Harry Potter to them and doing the voices.”
He also works hard. He rises early and, as his youngest son, Prince Harry, once said, “He has dinner ridiculously late and then goes to his desk and will fall asleep on his notes.”
The king has been described as a relentlessly busy and driven figure, capable of taking on a huge workload. “He’s genuinely passionate about the new generation,” says Chris Pope, who worked with Charles on the Prince’s Teaching Institute.
He also cares about the state of the world. Hitan Mehta, who helped Charles set up the British Asian Trust 15 years ago, says he’s concerned about the kind of planet his grandchildren will inherit. “He really does care.”