King Charles III has been left devastated by the news that his son Prince William has been forced to put his life on hold due to the devastating illness of his wife Kate Middleton
King Charles’s heartfelt plea to Prince William, reflecting on his “mistakes”, signifies a significant transformation in the royal household, royal experts have said.
The family have suffered a difficult year, grappling with the cancer battles faced by both Charles and Kate Middleton. On March 22 last year Kate shared her diagnosis publicly with an emotional video.
In January, Kate revealed she was in remission, while this week Charles reported he was on “the better side” of his illness, with treatments still ongoing
William had previously taken a step back from official engagements when Kate dropped her health bombshell in order to support her fully. Now, a new documentary titled William and Catherine: Putting Family First explores how such personal tribulations have led to shifts within the institution, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
Ingrid Seward of Majesty Magazine said that delivered a poignant of advice to William. She said: “Charles said to William: ‘Please don’t make the mistake that I made’ and ‘I want you to enjoy your family life’.”
Charles, reflecting on his past, stressed to William the importance of balancing duty with family happiness. Seward said: “And Charles was very insistent about this because he said: ‘I was so dedicated to duty, I couldn’t make way for family life in the way that I should’ve done’ and that’s what William did.”
Grant Harrold, who served as a butler to the then Prince Charles from 2004 to 2011, made a groundbreaking observation about the royal family. “I can absolutely see that there’s been a turning point in his life that I’d never thought I’d witness,” he revealed.
“I think for the first time ever you’ve got a King, who I think deep down if his boys need him, he would probably put them before the crown. That’s what I believe, and that’s the first time that would have ever have happened in the history of the monarchy.”
Ingrid Seward said that Charles and his siblings were accustomed to being cared for by a nanny due to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s dedication to their royal duties.
In his tell-all memoir Spare, Prince Harry gives an intimate look into Charles’ parenting style.
Harry describes how his father “stopped engaging” in playful activities with him and William “long before we were ready”. “He’d been an older dad, and I’d always felt that this created problems, placed barriers between us,” Prince Harry wrote.
“In his middle years he’d become more sedentary, more habitual. He liked his routines. He wasn’t the kind of father who played endless rounds of tag or tossed a ball until long after dark.”
More recently, he told the BBC that the King “won’t speak” to him because of an ongoing dispute his security provisions, though he still wants to reconcile.
