[imagesource: Jane Barlow/ PA]
Prince William and Prince Charles haven’t always seen eye to eye.
William was one of the last generations of royal children to be brought up in a rather detached way. While his mother, Diana, was very hands-on, images released to the press of Charles usually showed him suited up and trailing behind his children.
No play, no affection, just a stiff upper lip and some extraordinarily large ears.
Much like Charles has, in his old age, grown into his ears, so too, it seems, has he grown into his relationship with his oldest son.
Here’s The Telegraph:
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.
The image speaks to a new era in an uneasy relationship. William was old enough when his parents divorced to understand the trauma and tension that it produced.
Now a father of three in his late thirties, 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.
Three years ago, when the world commemorated the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death, William was reluctant to acknowledge his father’s role in his and Harry’s upbringing.
Charles’s aides “begged” William to give him the nod when he addressed journalists before the screening of the ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy in 2017 but he flatly refused.
As the royal author Penny Junor 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.”
When Meghan came onto the scene, she worked hard to foster a relationship with Charles, with whom she apparently shares a love of yoga.
Yes, Charles does yoga. I had to read that twice, too.
When tensions arose between the Sussexes and the Cambridges, Charles found himself in the unfortunate position of trying to make peace between his conflicting sons.
Then Meghan and Harry stepped down from Royal duty.
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 trio of households.
Since then, Charles and William are closer than ever.
You can read a more detailed account of how they mended some bridges, here.
For now, the future kings seem like the best of pals.
At least something good came out of #Megxit for the Royal Family.
[source:telegraph]
