King Charles wants Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to ‘grow up as normal as possible’ so they avoid making the ‘same mistakes he made’, a royal expert has claimed.
Chandrika Kaul, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews, appeared on the new documentary The Fab Five: The King’s Grandchildren, which aired on Channel 5 last night.
The expert claimed the newly-crowned monarch wants nothing more than for George, nine, Charlotte, eight and Louis, five, to have the confidence to go after what they want.
Professor Kaul said: ‘I think King Charles is very keen that his grandchildren don’t make the mistakes that I think he feels he made, particularly when it came to matters of the heart.’
In 1994, Charles admitted to being unfaithful to Princess Diana with his now wife Queen Camilla when his first marriage had ‘irretrievably broken down’ in an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby.
Channel 5’s The Fab Five: The King’s Grandchildren dives into the Monarch’s relationship with the children of his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as his step grandchildren from his second marriage to Queen Camilla
As such, the expert said King Charles has learnt from his past and doesn’t want history to repeat itself with the younger generations of royals.
She continued: ‘What I think he wants to do is try and help these young grandchildren grow up in as normal a way as possible and create more fully rounded human beings who are unafraid of their emotions and who are able to have the confidence to marry whom they want.
‘And to have a happy, successful and fulfilled personal life.’.
Scottish broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika suggested that helping the younger royals find their own path within the Institution will also ensure the future of the Monarchy.
She said: ‘Charles, as a good grandfather, will have to explain to the other two that they’re not just spares, they’re not just surplus to requirement.’
Ailsa Anderson, who worked as a press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth reflected on Princess Charlotte’s special role as the third-in-line to the throne.
She said: ‘It appears to me that Princess Charlotte has no qualms at all about being in the spotlight on public events.’
Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward added: ‘Charlotte has got an absolute terrific personality.
Speaking on the show, which aired yesterday, Scottish broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika said that the Monarch should pay particularly attention to Prince Charlotte, eight, and Prince louis, five, pictured during the Big Help Out on May 8
‘She’s brave, she’s quite forceful, she certainly lords it up over her older brother,’ she added.
Simon Vigar, royal correspondent for 5News, added: ‘I remember George being quite bossy but I think the dynamic’s changed. Recently during public events, we’ve seen Charlotte taking charge and ordering George around.’
Last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales moved away from London to rural Berkshire – where their children have been enrolled at the £21,000-a-term Ladbrook school.
Earlier this month, royal fans went wild over George, Charlotte and Louis’ ‘normal’ moments during their day of volunteering in Slough.
Following on from the Coronation concert on Sunday night, the family spent hours renovating some Scouts huts for local members to use.
Afterwards, clips from the family’s day out were posted on social media – and fans were in awe of how George, Charlotte and Louis seemed like any other ‘normal kids’ their age.
Princess Charlotte pictured picking up a piece of biscuit from her smore before popping it in her mouth at yesterday’s event in Slough
The Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English accompanied the family to the Scouts base yesterday and shared a heartwarming clip of Prince Louis, five, happily digging into a smore.
As the Princess of Wales assembled Louis’ snack for him, Princess Charlotte was seen enjoying hers in the background.
However, eagle-eyed royal fans noticed that Princess Charlotte accidentally dropped some of her biscuit on the grass behind her brother.
The video – which has amassed over 68,000 views – shows the couple’s second child crouching down to grab the piece she had dropped.
As she watched her little brother being given his sweet treat, Charlotte then discreetly popped the biscuit in her mouth.
Although Louis’ animated reaction to his smore was the focus of the clip, royal fans pointed out how Charlotte had followed the ‘five second rule’ in the comments.
One replied: ‘[He]s gorgeous but did anyone notice what his sister did in the background?
Prince George was pictured using the car window as a mirror to fix his hair after the engagement ended
Prince Louis, five, and Princess Charlotte, eight, pictured tucking into Smores at the Scouts event in Slough
Princess Charlotte was seen leading her brothers into the car while Prince Louis continued eating his smores
‘When she bit her biscuit a piece fell on the grass, she quickly picked it up. After a couple of seconds, it went in her mouth. Love! Kids are all the same.’
Another added: ‘Yes, demonstrating that even royal children follow the five second rule!’
It came two days after Prince George stepped into his role as second-in-line to the throne during his grandfather’s Coronation, where he was a page.
George was one of four Pages of Honour for his grandfather, a ceremonial position which required the young boys to attend to King Charles, largely by carrying his heavy robes.
It was a long day, but nine-year-old George remained professional throughout, appearing by the King’s side for the religious ceremony, the Royal Salute and on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
There were even a few poignant moments where Charles was seen whispering to his grandson, who will one day attend the coronation of his father Prince William – and his own.
George with Nicholas Barclay and Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, and Ralph Tollemache, 12 on the day of the Coronation
Prince George, the second in line to the throne, was a page boy durinh his grandfather King Charles’ Coronation on May 6
His brother Prince Louis and sister Princess Charlotte were not so involved in the momentous royal occasion, sitting with their mother and father in the pews inside Westminster Abbey.
Meanwhile, George was stood close to the King as he was crowned – joined by his fellow Pages of Honour: Nicholas Barclay and Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, both 13, and Ralph Tollemache, 12.
Page of Honour is a ceremonial position within the Royal Household that only requires attendance on State occasions, like Saturday, when the four boys were tasked with carrying the King’s robes.
Another four boys – the Queen’s grandsons and great-nephew – attended to Camilla.
The King’s pages looked the part in a traditional style of dress that was first seen at the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902: scarlet tunics decorated with gold lace trim and blue velvet cuffs.
These specific outfits were designed by Ede and Ravenscroft during the reign of the late Queen.
Prince George began his duties at Westminster Abbey early on Saturday, when he was seen deep in conversation with his grandfather in the moments before they entered the church.
He and his fellow Pages of Honour then carried the King’s robes through the Abbey, and stayed close by his side to be on hand for whenever Charles needed to move his position.
George was the picture of professionalism throughout the coronation ceremony, which kept him on his feet for over two hours. But his duties did not end when the King departed Westminster Abbey.
For the rest of Saturday, wherever King Charles went, his grandson was close behind.
He, Nicholas, Oliver and Ralph were on hand as the King received a Royal Salute from the British Army, and later helped Charles navigate the Buckingham Palace balcony.
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