It is so curious to me that so many Cambridge-friendly journalists all got the go-ahead to write stories about how Prince William and Prince Charles are super-close these days. Of course, those stories are obviously built on the photo of Charles and William which was released on Father’s Day (and taken by Kate). The photo itself is such a curious message, especially given the lack of conversation around Harry and Charles’ relationship, which I can only assume is pretty damaged. The photo leaves the impression that Charles is NOW very close to the large adult son who didn’t “leave” him. That’s on purpose. That’s the image William wanted. And because William has to sign his work, the Kensington Palace communications office gave the nod to Katie Nicholl and now Camilla Tominey to write about how it’s all about Will and Chuck now. Harry who?
Prince William has forgiven his father for the ‘mistakes of the past’ and has ‘woken up to the fact Charles has been as much of a positive influence as Diana’, a royal expert has claimed. On Sunday a charming photo of the two future kings was released by Kate Middleton to mark her husband’s 38th birthday and Father’s Day.
According to Camilla Tominey, the intimate image marks ‘an even more significant milestone in what hasn’t always been an easy relationship’.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph today, she said: ‘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 traumatic fallout out of his parents’ separation as a 10-year-old boy. 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.’
Camilla highlighted that William and Charles’ relationship appears to be very different from what it was just three years ago, when the world paid tribute to the late Princess of Wales on the 20th anniversary of her death in a car crash in Paris. She recalled how William was unwilling to acknowledge his father’s role in his and his brother Prince Harry’s upbringing after Diana died. Charles’ aides allegedly ‘begged’ his eldest son to pay tribute to his father when he spoke to journalists prior to the screening of the ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy in 2017 – but he refused.
Yeah. I remember all of those 2017 conversations around the anniversary of Diana’s death. Harry spoke about his own trauma, and how he needed therapy, and how Charles shouldn’t have made them walk behind Diana’s casket or put them on display in any way. Charles was reportedly hurt by what both of his sons said (or didn’t say) about him at that time. It was even said that in 2018, when Charles was celebrating his 70th birthday and there were those authorized biographies of him, that Charles got his revenge on both sons for the way they handled the Diana anniversary interviews the year before. If that was Charles’ intention – to leak some negative sh-t about William and Harry – it only really hit Harry and Meghan. It was a clusterf–k of negative stories coming from all sides onto H&M that fall. Just FYI.
As for the larger narrative of “William and Charles get along… NOW,” as I said before, this was a conscious choice made by the Queen and Charles. William basically gave them an ultimatum, to back him and his efforts to exile his brother or else… something. Charles made his decision, and here we are. Charles is fine with this arrangement as long as William plays along. and doesn’t start another round of PR around the idea that “the William Regency is upon us.” And if you don’t believe that William and Charles are both doing this as some kind of chess game for power and manipulation, well…
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace, Backgrid, WENN, Avalon Red.
Prince Charles wears the most lovely suits. That’s all I’ve got.
Alexander McQueen got his start on Seville Row & cut much of the fabric for suits for Prince Charles. The story goes as time when on HRH would request Lee because the suits were so well cut (he did pass that skill on to Sarah Burton) When he knew the suits were for Charles he was known to sew the words Cu*t into the lining. Simply Brilliant
Savile Row. Although happily I now have Emma Thompson’s voice in my head from Much Ado About Nothing. ‘civil, Count, civil as an orange/ and something of that jealous complexion’ (Shakespeare playing on civil vs. Seville where bitter oranges are from)
Prince Charles is always tailored within an inch of his life!! It’s fascinating
William never had a problem with infidelity given his cheating on Kate for twenty years. After all, Anmer is where Charles and Camilla frolicked for years, and he doesn’t have a problem raising his family there. Conveniently Rose is just over the hedge.
William had a problem not being the centre of attention from everyone all the time, just like Charles. Or rather, not being the focus of his mother’s attention, because he’s complained about her work load as an excuse to work less himself.
I recall reading years ago that William resented his parents being away on tours and used to act out when they returned.
He has always always been a spoiled attention seeking brat who acts out when he is not being constantly praised for breathing.
I have read that William has had some very unkind words for his mother.
@btb, it was reported back in the day that Will and his mother were often on the outs and that he was not speaking to Diana for a period of time shortly before her death. I recall that some of this was from tension caused by bad blood between Diana and Tiggy L-B. The latter of which made some pretty terrible statements about Diana as a mother (and Diana then accused Tiggy of things). It was said that William would take Tiggy’s side.
My pets act out when I return from away. I’m not surprised a child would as well. It’s got to be traumatic for your parents to leaves for weeks or months at a time.
Didn’t William and Diana have an argument the day she died over the phone? I can’t remember where I heard that. But I can imagine that William must have felt guilty or atleast regretful over it. But William has clearly always been a brat. The war between both his parents were bad so I’m not surprised that he’s mad at them for it, and seeked a parental figure elsewhere. But why is he repeating history himself. He’s mad at his parents for their mistakes and yet he’s doing the same sh*t as them only worse. His kids will be screwed up too.
It wasn’t Tiggy doing the bitching and lying. Diana lied to everyone in aristo circles and the royal staff, lying and claiming Tiggy had aborted Charles’s child. Wanted to destroy Tiggy career and reputation.
William behaved like an entitled brat for his entire life. His behavior was rarely checked and he never had to apologize publicly like his brother did. When he took the military copter to a stag party his commander had to do the apologizing.
I don’t think Diana and William were “often” on the outs. I think he behaved like a brat with his parents. On Parents Day at Eton, Charles and DIana were to have a picnic lunch with William. Diana assumed she would be there and prepared a picnic lunch. At the last minute, William cut his parents off the list and invited Tiggy. Diana had already prepared the lunch. He went with Tiggy. DIana and Harry went on a picnic with the prepared lunch. William should never have been allowed to behave that way. The QUeen could have stepped in and told him well if you don’t take your parents you don’t go either. Tiggy should have stayed out of it. Tiggy went “above herself” and told the media Will and Harry were “her boys” and derided Diana’s mothering skills. Regardless, there are limits as to what parents should put up from their children. Wharfe who spent time with WIlliam said he was a “sneak.”
“The QUeen could have stepped in”. Really? His Granny should have stepped in? And done what? I don’t think I could disagree more. They were his parents- they should have exercised their own authority over him if it was in his interest.
Why think that the Queen would and could have pulled William in line? Look at the mess she made of her own children, especially Andrew who has been favoured and coddled his entire life to the point that he has no idea how to deal with the unpleasant consequences of his actions now that the BRF can’t simply sweep them under the carpet anymore.
Incidentally, William has been treated the same way, insulating him from the consequences of his actions. The fact that there were no repercussions for him when he took off in an air force helicopter to impress his girlfriend when he was in the air force speaks volumes. It is bad for a person’s character. Harry always had to face the fallout from his stupid actions because he was the spare and that has actually been a good thing for his personal growth.
Diana and Charles should have had words with William when he behaved in that petty way with his parents.
Having a common enemy does bring people together I suppose. I, for one, don’t think he’s forgiven his father for anything, he just needs him at the moment. William doesn’t seem to have done the work to process everything that’s happens surrounding his mothers death or the aftermath so excuse me for not buying this switch up.
I wonder if Carole hates these stories.
Does William understand how much he’s lost because of how he handled the last two years? And Charles has gained so much. Even Andrew is gone.
The picture of the boys walking behind the casket of their mother was super sad.
Lol. I read the article. And all I could think was you totally called it first. That the duo decided they were mutually beneficial to each other hence the sudden love and pictures. It’s so funny, the concerted effort to point out that they will both be kings and George too and that has bonded them. A transparent attempt to freeze out Harry and make it appear like he doesnt count.
Did anyone else dislike the picture of Charles and Wiliam. Charles wanted to appear like the doting father but the posture made William appear he was the strong king to be, patting his old, frail, greying fathers head.
I thought there was a repulsive element to that photo. William looked awful in that cap. I feel sorry for Charlotte and Louis who will be treated as “not as important.”
Primogeniture is to thank for that. Its not like these particular people made the rules. But they do have to live by them, or they have nothing.
I think Charlotte will be fine. I think Charlotte will take a page from the Princess Royal’s playbook and just get on with whatever she wants to do.
The Princess Royal was only able to do that because she wasn’t the spare (at least not after Andrew was born.) That gave her a lot more freedom and disrupted the heir/spare dynamic. Plus, I don’t think Charlotte is going to have Anne’s work ethic.
Anne Mostly escaped the media attention and didn’t have to deal with social media. Charlotte is going to be heavily scrutinized and her parents help set her up for this by trading with the media to hold on to their secrets. Charlotte is the spare and will get Harry treatment with a dollop of the usual misogyny in the British tabloids.
Yes, Charlotte will be the spare thrown to the wolves by the BRF, while the forgotten third child will be forgotten like Edward.
Charles looks like he’s in pain with the way William is grabbing him. I’m imagining him saying “Ouch!” once that picture was taken,lol. I guess they’re stuck with each other now.
In the photo of them in the top hats, William is smirking.
Would love to know what dirt Keen Kevin Kensington has on his father, the future Charles III. It must be explosive stuff for Charles to treat Harry the way he has.
Delete
@Bisi, I had commented on the other thread yesterday that in this picture Charles comes across as a frail elderly man who leans on his son for support while William is in a dominant pose standing upright with his arm around his slouching father. Given the family dynamics, I wouldn’t trust this touchy-feely photo as far as I could throw either of them.
Well all I can say is that these people deserve each other and the tabloid press that they are so enthralled with. I hope each and every one of them reap the benefits of what they’ve sowed.
William has ‘forgiven’ Charles for mistakes of the past because William will need his own children’s forgiveness in the future.
EXACTLY my thought. It just clicked, I’m dense sometimes. But all of a sudden while I was reading – that’s what this is about. William forgives Charles now because he is engaging in the same behavior and can understand now.
Also, if he wants to divorce Kate, he’s going to need Charles in his corner.
He will want to use his father’s playbook, like he was “pressured” to marry and it was a ‘mistake.” Then put down his ex wife.
@Tessa – Pressured by whom? It could not be Charles because as I understand, Charles really does not care for Keen Kathy Kensington and really never did.
The really weird thing for me, which i cannot get a handle on, is that Meghan is much more Future Charles III’s type than Cathy Cambridge.
@Bay – agree with your last point, in that I don’t think Charles disliked Meghan, but he certainly did nothing to protect her. Like you said though, its the weird thing. Charles and Harry seemed fairly close and in the beginning. Meghan and Charles and Camilla all seemed to get along well. My guess is they still get along okay behind the scenes (Meghan’s smile at Charles when he arrived for the CDS seemed very warm and genuine) but there is something else going on (cough William cough.)
I can see William saying he was “pressured” to marry Kate – he had been stringing her along for basically the whole of her 20s, was it really fair to her, if he didn’t want to marry her he should have said something at the time and cut ties and moved on, he was still processing the death of his mother and didn’t know what he wanted in a wife, he was seeking a mother figure in Carole Middleton and didn’t want to lose that, he was comfortable with Kate at that point and trusted her and didn’t want to go through the effort of finding someone else, the press was being cruel to her with “Waity Katie” he didn’t want to take her back after they broke up for that extended period but what else could he do? He had to get married and settle down and he was fond enough of Kate, so might as well.
I actually do think some of that is true – theirs was never a great love story but William probably thought “eh, has to be someone, might as well be her” but the rest will be the spin that is put out if they divorce. Heck we are seeing some of that in the Tatler article – the Middletons viewing him as the prize, Carole being his surrogate mother, etc. It’s just a few very short steps to get to the things I said above.
It doesn’t mean there was serious pressure, but it means it could very easily be spun as if it were.
Bay: I doubt Charles pressured him. He apparently advised William to stop stringing Kate along if he didn’t want to commit to her, and that resulted in the big 2007 breakup. I believe she was also telling her friends that Charles was to blame for that particular breakup. If anything, Will probably had some more nudging from Kate’s parents.
@Becks1 – I wonder if Katherine knew then what she knows now, would she have pursued and married Keen Kevin Kingston? If she had it all to do over again, I wonder if she really would marry Cain, aka the penis with teeth, and the ridiculous BRF. (Yes, IMHO, she married both.)
PRessured by Carole of course. Who would invite William for cheese toast and persuade him to “take Kate back,”
@Becks1: William “was comfortable with Kate at that point and trusted her and didn’t want to go through the effort of finding someone else,”
That reminds me of what that (now deceased) Royal Reporter said shortly before W & K’s wedding: William LOVES Kate but that he is not IN LOVE with her.
I remember a while back the middletons were on holiday with the Matthews family and schmoozing with rich new money types. And I thought I bet ma Middleton looking for a plan B for Kate, building contacts so kate has a fall back in place for when the inevitable happens.
Becks1, I see that happening as well. He’ll claim his mistakenly married a long-time friend out of comfort, a sense of obligation, seemed the right thing to do, etc.
If the Middletons push back on that narrative? He’ll add in concerns about Kate’s inability to handle the role, it is too much pressure for her, he feels badly. He steps up the talk of being vulnerable, confused, manipulated by Carole. The BRF will back him and release all the dirt they have on the Middletons, Goldsmiths, and Matthews families.
Charles will back him on it, because otherwise William steps up the talk of feeling abandoned by his father during the separation, divorce, mother’s death.
They are more alike than either would like to admit. I feel bad for Harry, but he’s happily away from them and that’s good but this has to be hard to watch.
William has gotten tons of mileage out of that awkward picture with his dad. I don’t think for one minute William has forgiven Charles. That anger has fueled everything William has done. Ostracizing Charles from his kids’ lives, latching on to Ma Midds, slacking off from work, asking Kate to marry him without asking the Queen’s permission. Without the anger, William wouldn’t be where he is today. Do I think the anger is still about Diana and the cheating? Nope. If it effected him as badly as he (everyone) has implied, he would be a better husband to Kate. He wouldn’t think of repeating the same patterns of behavior as Charles, instead he has always made it clear that Kate was a 2nd choice, the only available option because the women he really wanted to marry, didn’t want to marry him.
Now, Charles won’t rock the boat with William. He won’t contradict anything that William is putting out because Charles understands the need to present an united front for the sake of the monarchy. He supports Harry with money & silence. I’m sure he is upset his relationship with Harry is strained because Harry supported Charles and Camilla in spite of his love for his mother. And Charles allowed his wife to be maligned and abuse without any sign of support or indignation.
It’s a messed of relationship between Charles & his sons. Nothing is forgiven or forgotten.
I don’t think Harry had a choice to support CHarles and Camilla. I think there was a lot of resentment that he had to pretend did not exist. Charles pushed Camilla on Harry and William less than a year after his mother died. Harry was going to Tiggy Legge Bourke for support and Mark Dyer as well. I don’t know how either WIlliam or Harry could stand seeing Charles friends put out books deriding their mother.The whole thing seems so unnatural to me.
Someone on another article mentioned that Charles fumbled around when he was recently asked if he got to see the grandkids. Camilla has to step in and talk about how they saw *her* grandkids but without contact. That tells me that things are still tense behind the scenes. This new alliance is shaky at best.
Apropos of nothing: I have just noticed that Kate is still Kate Middleton, Meghan is still Meghan Markle but Sophie is ALWAYS Sophie Wessex….I don’t even know her ‘maiden’ name (hate that term but cannot think of an alternative) ~
I doubt there’s protocol involved, so does anyone know what’s up with that?
I beg your pardon if this is thread-jacking, but it JUST occurred to me reading another ‘Kate Middleton’ …..is it because she was 2nd choice? I know MM would be an attempt to ‘otherize’. Is it the same for KM? She’s ‘other’ because the turnip toffs ‘cannot/will not’ accept her?
Sophie Rhys-Jones.
I think its just a factor of being well known and permanency. Kate was fairly well known as William’s girlfriend, Kate Middleton, so it was easier in the beginning. Plus, calling her Kate Cambridge would be awkward because one day she will be “Kate cornwall” if not the princess of wales.
I think its more problematic that they refer to her as Princess Kate, its such a clear way to link to Diana. (Don’t @ me people, I know she’s also Princess William, but they’re not calling her that.) Diana wasn’t “Princess Diana” either but it stuck as a title.
Sophie was called a Sophie Rhys Jones early on in the marriage but she just been around for decades. I don’t think she was as much of a tabloid figure pre engagement as Kate and Carole were.
I think it’s because Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have such a large online presence while the internet only knows Sophie as Sophie Wessex.
I think Kate’s and meghans titles are a bit of a mouth full. If we’re were to refer them to their proper married names kate would be Catherine, the duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, the duchess of Sussex . They don’t use surnames, so it’s not like we can call them meghan Sussex, or Meghan Mountbatten Windsor. I guess it’s just easier to say kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle. Princess Diana was never supposed to be referred to as ‘princess Diana’, she was Diana, princess of Wales, but it just kind of stuck. When harry was in the army he called himself Harry Wales.
What we are seeing is the new family PR line being rolled out ahead of the Finding Freedom book release. William and Charles are sooooooo close now because they have to show a united front if they are to dispute anything that may come out as a result of the book. On Kate’s end, it seems they’re sticking with the ‘OMG Kate has so much work to do now that Meghan’s not around!’ narrative. I expect the next month to be positively unbearable with the amount of sugary PR placements KP and CH will “leak” in the lead-up to the book launch. I think most people on this site agree that the book won’t spill much tea (if any), but the fact that the royal family is acting as if it COULD spill tons of it speaks volumes.
I also think it’s interesting that, for all the stories we get about Kate’s workload and Will and the kids etc, there haven’t been any (or nearly any) stories about Kate and Will being so in love since the pigeon debacle. It’s like they tried their lovey-dovey couples competition, it failed miserably, and so they’re trying out the storylines that Kate will be a Working Mom and Will will reconcile with his dad. I expect that the tornadoes whipped up by their flailing PR spin will make the next month very entertaining.
” ‘OMG Kate has so much work to do now that Meghan’s not around!’ narrative.”
I just have to ask: Why did Kate not have a ton of work to do before Meghan arrived on the scene?
Good catch – you’re totally right that we’ve seen stories about Amazing Kate the supermom and William loves his Dad, but they aren’t really featured in each other’s narratives.
You’d think there could be a good story somewhere in there about being the last two young royals standing…it has made them stronger and strengthened their love etc. But nothing.
That’s odd, unless they are sort of competing with each other through the press rather than coordinating their strategy?
Okay, this is probably far fetched but it’s been a weird day so this is my theory. They are not putting out the “so much in love” stories bc even they don’t want to read them after the Rose affair. Kate was totally humiliated because Bill broke the agreement of discretion and then the supposed-to-be face saving Tatler article was another slap in her face. Kate may have figured out that Will wants out and is trying to get rid of her so she is presenting herself as a devoted mother and incredibly hard worker, giving her all for the RF. Sounds like she is trying a bit of Diana cosplay to save face and, maybe, the crown for herself.
By being together, they are sparing two other people. They deserve each other.
I don’t think they’re bright enough to be playing a game of chess. Probably checkers. If they were bright enough to play chess they wouldn’t have pushed H&M out.
Is it possible that the Queen has privately announced an abdication date? That would go a long way in explaining the surge of “Aren’t the Cambridges the bestest, hard working, most perfect couple and family since sliced bread?” stories. It would also go a long way in explaining why William wanted the Sussexes out and far, far away.
Right after their marriage, the Queen sent the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a few State visits representling the Crown around the world. The Duke and Duchess were successful and proved to be very popular. But more importantly, Meghan proved to be engaging and adept at public speaking. Kate is neither of those things.
If the Queen has indeed set an abidcation date, the popularity of the charismatic Sussexes would not bode well for the luke warm Cambridges; especially after the Rose story.
I hope she has not. I am not sure it would make a difference since Charles appears to be placating WIlliam.
I don’t think she has. I think the Queen intends to die on the throne, so to speak. She promised the people she would and I don’t think she plans on abdicating. It’s too bad. She must be tired, I know I am.
I don’t think she will abdicate either. They might have a date in mind for a more formal Regency. Or they might let things rest as they are with her doing less and less and Charles doing more and more.
It’s all propaganda and we see right through their foolishness.
Best gossipy thread ever
Maybe after the years of his own infidelities and throwing close family under the bus he just has a lot more to talk about with dear old Dad.