Gyles Brandreth was a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He’s written about them extensively and he’s actually broken news about both of them in recent years. Brandreth was the first one who came out and said that QEII had bone-marrow cancer in her final year and the palace covered it up. He also said that the palace lied about QEII being at Prince Philip’s bedside when her husband passed. Well, for some reason, the Daily Mail wants to remind everyone of the time that Brandreth said that Prince Philip thought Charles would be a terrible king.
Prince Philip did little to hide his ‘disdain’ for Charles who he believed ‘lacked the dedication necessary to make a good king’, a royal insider has claimed. It is no secret that King Charles had a testy relationship with his father.
Their clashes during Charles’s childhood were dramatised for the hit Netflix series The Crown where the young prince was dressed down by his father for being ‘too weak’ after he struggled to fit in at Gordonstoun boarding school. While time healed the rift between the family members and by all accounts Charles and Philip were close in the Duke of Edinburgh’s final years, throughout adulthood they struggled to get on with Philip doing very little to disguise his feelings.
Writing in his biography, Philip: The Final Portrait, broadcaster and royal author Gyles Brandreth claims that during his meetings with the Duke in the 1980s and 1990s there was a ‘touch of exasperation in his tone – and often, too, a note of sarcasm’ when he talked about Charles. The Duke gave the impression that he would have liked his son to be more robust, less fey.’
Gyles notes that Philip often did very little to hide how he felt about the heir to the throne even when speaking to members of the public. The royal expert recalls a meeting with Philip in 1986 where the Duke was presented with three pairs of carriage driving gloves as a gift from the Playing Fields Association all in different colours. Third pair were a garish lilac colour which Philip held ‘disdainfully’ and said “I think we’ll give these to the Prince of Wales”.
Philip even allegedly felt that Charles lacked the ‘dedication necessary to make a good king’ especially after the death of Princess Diana. Speaking to Gyles on another occasion Philip acknowledged their similarities but noted their key personality difference was that Charles is a ‘romantic’ and he was a ‘pragmatist’.
“I think we’ll give these to the Prince of Wales” is hilarious. LMAO. Yeah, it was never a secret that Philip thought Charles was “soft,” and I’m not going to defend Philip there – Philip bullied Charles and tried and failed to “toughen up” Charles and it was always a toxic dynamic. But Philip was right to doubt Charles’s dedication. Beyond the toxicity about Charles’s “softness,” there was a real concern that Charles never had the temperament to be a good king. He always had a wishy-washy, dithering attitude, and he’s spent the past five decades enraptured with Camilla, to the point where he’s destroyed his relationships with his sons. Charles not only lacks the temperament to be a good king/leader/head of state, he lacks the temperament to simply be the head of his family and a loving father.
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- Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales at the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
It’s a figurehead position. What does his temperament matter? If he thought Charles lacked dedication, what did he think of Will?
I also think almost anyone would be considered a disappointment after 70 years with a single Queen, such that almost nobody had a memory of another monarch. And QEII carefully presented herself in a way that people could imbue her with whatever qualities they thought were important. It would take a lot of charisma to overcome that (Harry would be the only one with a chance).
I vociferously disagree. Ppl liked the Queen because she had CHARACTER which radiated. She “worked” hard, understanding that it was the key to upholding legitimacy – being see while she “worked.” Charles disdain and ill-temperment was always bubbling beneath the surface. He seemed like a spoiled or unspoiled child who wanted ALL of the attention. Camilla gave it to him and THATS how Camilla won.
“ but noted their key personality difference was that Charles is a ‘romantic’ and he was a ‘pragmatist’.”
Hardly! He doesn’t even know what love is!
I bet a lot of Chuck’s friends after his death will come out and say how Chuck knew Willy would always be an unfit king and Harry would have been a better one at it 😂
Imagine the incandescence!
I think Philip meant “romantic” as in unrealistic and “head-in-the clouds.”
And there seems to be a lot of coded misogyny in Phillip’s barbs as well – clearly he didn’t think Charles was “masculine” or heteronormative enough.
No wonder Charles is such a crap dad – look at what a crap role model he had in his own.
Honestly it speaks to Harry’s incredible strength that he breaks all this generational trauma every day that he wakes up and chooses to be a loving father to his kiddos rather than just repeat what has been modeled for him.
They have been bringing all this up again lately. In 2001 the Telegraph reported that Philip said Charles was too extravagant to be a good ruler and Charles refused to give his 80th birthday remarks until he apologized. And it was all leaked and public. And remember that it’s been reported many many times William actually takes after his father, down to the personality traits.
It actually makes me wonder. Bc William does take after Charles so could these excerpts be applied to him.
This makes me more annoyed with Phillip. That he was worried about his son being too soft and fey, giving him the lilac gloves. Sounds like he was saying he though Charles was too feminine. He wanted Charles to be more manly. And who cares if he was? It has nothing to do with the fact that Charles became a weak human being. Seems like two things being conflated. Don’t get me wrong. Charles is weak and petulant and all of those things, but he is weak regardless of whether he was more robust than fey. The bigger issue to me is that Charles has always been more concerned with his popularity and legacy than pretty much anything else except maybe Camilla but she butters him up so she’s a part of that too.
I just commented on the Duchess of Sussex related post that the british media needs therapy.
Phillip was a gross racist who cheated on his wife a lot.
Who wasn’t a good parent. (like so many of his generation, and the next)
This “manliness” men try to instill in their sons – so their not roided up sons look tougher.
It is a disease, and has robbed men of having feelings and empathy and compassion.
Phillip was nazi-kin garbage.
The royal family were not anointed by god. They were just the biggest and most evil and conscienceless criminals of their day. And the time has come to end the monarchy.
No one living on any royal property is fit to lead a parade, much less a country (figurehead or not).
Philip never apologized for his racist comments which the media called gaffes
My nephew is 5 almost 6 and I’m watching irt how his parents are teaching him to be more of what they perceive as boyish. Despite his favorite color being pink and being told that he needs to take off his sister’s sparkly dress he put on. Idk, I imagine boys can just like whatever and it doesn’t have to mean anything except them exploring and playing. But his parents are so freaked out about anything trans. Bc they’re assholes. I hate it. I hate it so deeply. So these types of articles telling us what Phillip said to Charles are going to strike a nerve for me. So my comments are going to come from there.
Agree with everything you wrote Jais.
Look how much tidier Cam looks with shorter hair. She could look so much sharper. Perhaps she just doesn’t give a toss.
Agreed but I struggle to appreciate it due to the mess of the necklace/neckline that have been put together in that picture.
I think Charles craves adoration and flattery. I think Camilla recognized that about him when she met him and figured out how it could benefit her. Following astute maneuvers and the sacrifice numerous bodies on her personal PR alter she accomplished her ultimate goal. The rest is now history.
Charles’ legacy is in tatters. He has proved both Philip and Diana correct. He’s not a good king.
He wasn’t wrong about Chuckles being a terrible king. He is also a terrible father and grandfather. Philip raised (probably with a few nannies and such) him so he has some fault in what Chuckles is today.
Philip should not be blamed for the awful way Charles treated Diana and their sons. Especially harry. Charles made his bad choices all on his own
I said he had SOME fault and yes you’re right he can’t be blamed for how he treated Diana and his sons but he does shoulder SOME blame in who Chuckles is today.
“No man is an island.”
We do not grow up in vacuo.
Philip slept with anyone that held still long enough and it was a known issue — I would say yes, he does bear some responsibility for how his son grew to respect, or lack thereof, his wedding vows. The philanderer didn’t fall far from the tree.
Charles was and is self centered. He got engaged to a teenager an aristo he used to get heirs. He had an untidy private life and felt entitled to it. He treated his first wife and their sons shabbily. The queen mother coddled him to think he was center of the universe. And he was very petulant and still I s. He also chose dubious mentors even listening to savile. Charles did have a work ethic unlike William. Philip may or may not have disapproved of wills laziness and worry about him being king
They all seem to have terrible parents , childhood you would think growing up royal would be nice but everything tells me not. I guess the saying we all have our own problem is true didn’t sound like a good father and im not fond of Charles for the Harry stuff. Also not justifiing the Camilia stuff but not suprised he had an affair.
There has been generational toxicity between one generation to the next in that family since at least George III and George IV. None of them know how to be good husbands or fathers. Only Harry has learned how to be a good husband and father and is doing his best to break that legacy. The rest of them just carry on what they’ve experienced to the next generation.
George II and Queen Caroline and their relationship with eldest son Frederick, Prince of Wales (George III’s father) make the modern Windsors look cuddly and warm.
George I. sent his first wife into exile in a small castle in Ahlden, somewhere in nowhere in lower saxony, after she had an affair. Their marriage was without love and toxic and only existed for the two children. She lived there from 1695 to 1726 and never saw her children again.
George became king of England and had his Camilla – Melusine von der Schulenburg.
Both men are/were terrible people who contributed to the dysfunction and toxicity that exists in the family. No one should be looking up to these people.
Please note – five decades enraptured with Camilla as her tampon, do not forget. LOL
“While time healed the rift between the family members and by all accounts Charles and Philip were close in the Duke of Edinburgh’s final years, throughout adulthood they struggled to get on with Philip doing very little to disguise his feelings.“
— What?? When do these people think adulthood ends?
Reading this, it occurs to me that Philip probably just had sour grapes. Doesn’t matter if Charles is soft. If he has the wrong temperament. Charles was always going to be king and Philip was always going to come second to his wife, which seems to have hurt his ego in his youth.
I don’t care for Charles, but how much of the things we consider his weaknesses are a direct result of Philip and Elizabeth’s parenting? They have four kids and none were particularly remarkable or good, kind people.
Charles was the only one to complain about the parents. The other three defended them when Charles authorized biography came out. Philip was not perfect but he did not
Force Charles to be nasty to Diana. Charles made his own choices and he never took responsibility for his own actions. His sympathizers like Ingrid blamed Diana for his cheating. And now he’s not taking responsibility for how he treats the Sussex family. Elizabeth and philip did not cause Charles bad behavior. Charles did.
The Diana marriage was pretty much forced on him though— unlike his siblings who were allowed to marry for love. Parents don’t parent each of their children in the same way, and I fully believe Phillip was a terrible parent to Charles specifically. With a lot of therapy, C might have worked through that, but of course that was never going to happen. This does NOT excuse his actions to Harry. Like Harry does, he could give his kids the unconditional love he did not receive himself. But I do give him a little grace on the Diana situation because his parents definitely helped create that problem.
I give Charles no flowers, He was sh-t to Diana and he has been sadistic in his treatment of the Sussex family. That is all on Charles imo. Doesn’t mean that Phillip also wasn’t a d-ck to his son. Like Phillip, I don’t think Charles has a good temperament to be a monarch. But I don’t really think anyone should be raised to be a king. But I’m not the dad of Charles. Phillip was his dad and he made fun of him to the press rather than protect him. I don’t blame Charles for what he said in the Dimbleby books. But I blame Charles for not being better and probably being even worse than his own dad ever was. And then acting surprised when Harry wrote his own book. And Harry was far kinder to Charles than he ever deserved.
@Meredith, I know we say Charles was forced but meh idk. He might have been or might not have been, truly idk. But either way he then had no issue terrorizing a young woman along with Camilla. That’s his character.
Philip was encouraged by his uncle mountbatten to court princess Elizabeth. Philip had to wait until she came of age but was dating other women. In a way the marriage was an arrangement though the queen was besotted with philip. Charles acts like a hypocrite when be was shocked that harry wrote spare and yet he authorized the biography which included his slamming his parents.. Charles was 32 when he courted Diana he was not forced. Charles was arguably at the point of proposal to d a v I n a Sheffield but broke up with her when her ex spoke to the media about their relationship.
Meredith. Diana married for love. Charles wanted heirs . Charles did not want to marry Camilla when he first met her. She wanted parker bowles. Charles was serious about other women he saw as good prospects and they turned him down. Charles was not forced to marry Diana
He was free to move on from the relationship
“While time healed the rift between the family members and by all accounts Charles and Philip were close in the Duke of Edinburgh’s final years, throughout adulthood they struggled to get on with Philip doing very little to disguise his feelings.“
— What?? When do these people think adulthood ends?
Also: I’m sorry, but if Philip disdained lilac because it was too feminine, then he deserved the son he got.
Lilac doesn’t mean the actual colour. We all know that, hopefully. Anyone of an age knows what lilac means. That’s a slightly fake story to out Charles, quite obviously. It’s freaking hilarious.
Is lilac alluding to Charles being gay?
It was called lilac marriages for a reason. I don’t know if that was what Phillip was insinuating but he was calling out Charles for being what he saw as too effeminate. Charles has a lot of characteristics that make him not a worthy leader or king. How masculine he is perceived to be should not be one of them. Whether it was his dad trying to genuinely hint at him possibly being bi or not altogether strait idk. But it was def an example of equating masculine worthiness with a certain robustness as opposed to feyness, or being of the fairies. It’s a lot of antiquated queer codedness either way.
I believe marriages between gay men and straight women are called lavender marriages not lilac (if that’s what you are referring to)
yes! That’s what I meant, lol.
I mean, with Charles’ decades-long liaison with Camilla, including the tampon episode, surely Phillip knew which way Charles swung. But Phillip no doubt thought Charles was effeminate in ways that counted to him, like being popular at Gordonstoun.
And Prince Philip was right! So right.
The only one he thought was tough enough was Anne.
I bet Will’s grand parents were worried about him and his lack of work effort. Prince Philip it was noted in one of yesterday’s threads wanted W and K to step up to full time work to enable him to retire at 90.Its beginning to look like W will only be galvanised if he’s hit by lightening!
Charles was too weak and “fey” yet allegedly Edward was his favorite child? Make that make sense.
Actually, I believe that Edward was the Queen’s favourite child. Phillip’s favourite was Anne.
While I’d hardly take the judgement of a serial philanderer and alcoholic, Phillip did make one spot on yet cruel point about Charles, the ditherer, the pouty squish.
“Good King Harry,” as his mother called him, is, with Meghan, making a life fit for a king.
Yes, Chuck is a terrible king and Peg will be worse. QEII was a woman and had to do what the gray men told her to do. But Chuck & Peg do whatever the heck they want. They don’t care about optics. Its all about side pieces and permanent vacations, not duty to one’s country.
The middle children got the parental love. Anne was Phillip’s favorite and Andrew, much to his detriment was QE2’s. They’re all a mess but it’s to varying degrees how messy they are. Chuckles and Eddie are needy. Anne is kind of mean , we don’t have to talk about Andrew…..
They should have let Charles marry Camilla when he wanted to the first time. Instead they insisted on a virgin bride, and there won’t have been many of those around Charles’ age at his marriage to Diana.
All of their lives would have been much happier.