His full title is Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Kingdoms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
However, his grandchildren affectionately know him as “Grandpa Wales.” While much has been written (not all, it must be said, glowing) about the king’s role as a father over the years, it is his unbridled enthusiasm as a grandfather that has shown Charles in a new, softer light. .
An enthusiasm that explains why, despite the family’s personal difficulties, the Prince and Princess of Wales were so keen that their children, George, ten, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six , will join their ‘GW’ at Trooping the Color on Saturday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were so excited that their children, George, ten, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, joined their ‘Grandpa Wales’ at Trooping the Color on Saturday.
No major royal event would be complete without little Louis’ hilarious antics, Charlotte’s sisterly efforts to restrain him, and George’s endearing earnestness as the slightly more self-aware older brother. But serious illnesses also have a habit of bringing us even closer to our loved ones, and the Royal Family is no different.
In order for the young ones to be there and play a full role (riding in a carriage around The Mall, watching the Horse Guards proceedings, and joining in the family “balcony moment”), Mom needed to be there too to provide for the “kids” ( as she calls her calf) under control while dad was on horseback.
For Kate, there was also a determination to support the father-in-law to whom she has become increasingly close over the years and with whom she now shares the unenviable bond of a serious health battle. In recent years, the King has become a central part of the lives of William, Kate and their young family, a relationship emphasized by the lack of personal contact with Lilibet, two, Archie, five and three, of Harry and Meghan.
He’s only seen his youngest granddaughter in person once since she was born, and Archie only a handful of times.
Recently, it was suggested that the King was unhappy with the situation and was “more interested than ever” in building a relationship with them that wasn’t just limited to video calls to California. The story was not universally welcomed, as it put Buckingham Palace in an impossible position: those close to the King never really talk about the Sussex children to avoid inflaming transatlantic tensions, but to deny this would be to suggest that the King does not want further contact with them, which is clearly not true at all.
And the situation is particularly complicated due to Harry’s repeated attacks on his father and family, his dogged insistence in the UK courts that it is not safe to bring his family to the UK, as well as Charles’ inability to travel to the United States due to his health problems. and responsibilities.
When I asked a well-placed source if Harry could take his children to see the King at Balmoral this summer as a commitment, the response was a loud snort. Read about it what you want. His relationship with his other three grandchildren is much better.
It is his unbridled enthusiasm as a grandfather that has shown Charles in a new, softer light.
The family’s move to Windsor, where they live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Great Park, along with the King’s decision to spend more time at the castle, has given him the opportunity to see more of the little Welshmen. A close friend says: ‘He loves being a grandfather and thoroughly enjoys the time he spends with them. He loves playing with them in the garden and reading to them.’
I am told that the King has even named an area he created in his Scottish home of Birkhall ‘Prince George’s Wood’.
“Although people don’t see him with his grandchildren much because most of those moments happen behind closed doors, I know he is very careful to make sure he has time for them in his busy schedule,” says the close friend.
Another source tells me he is “affectionate in his own way.”
It wasn’t always so harmonious. I previously revealed how, when Charlotte was born in 2015, Charles and Camilla headed to their Highgrove residence in Gloucestershire after William told them they would not be receiving visitors over the bank holiday weekend. However, on Sunday word spread that Carole and Mike Middleton were on their way to Kensington Palace to see their new grandson.
Charles then had to make a dash for London so he would not be seen as indifferent.
Things couldn’t be more different today, and people have come to see a new and endearing side to the King: whether it’s a affectionate moment with a smiling Charlotte on the balcony on Saturday, or bouncing a bored Louis on his lap in the Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum. Jubilee celebrations or hugging Prince George in a rare family photograph.
He also spoke about talking to his grandchildren during the Covid lockdowns on video calls, revealing how difficult it was for him not to be able to reach out and give them a hug.
“I think it was a revelation to some and people began to see him as the grandfather figure that those close to Her Majesty already know him to be,” says another source.
He has an equally close relationship with his wife’s five grandchildren. In an exclusive interview with me to mark her 70th birthday in 2017, the then Duchess of Cornwall revealed how much she adored her grandchildren.
For many years, I’m told, King Charles also held a big party at Clarence House every summer for family and close friends, with children running around his flower beds and shouting.
Those precious moments may be a little more difficult to organize now, given your new responsibilities as sovereign. But there is no doubt that among the many great titles he holds, the most cherished is the simple nickname of Grandfather Wales.