

Needed the company of children in a classroom, making him the first heir The time he was eight, the Queen and Prince Philip had decided that he It brimmed with quirkiness and bizarreĬharacters-a precursor to the sketches by the Goons and Monty PythonĬomedy troupes, two happily subversive influences in his life. Was Hilaire Belloc’s Cautionary Verses, a volume of poetry about theĬonsequences of bad behavior. One book that caught the prince’s eye and helped hone his sense of humor Winston Churchill remarked after observing Charles shortly before his Eager to please, he plodded diligently through his lessonsīut was easily distracted and dreamy. Sensible Glaswegian governess, nicknamed “Mispy,” who felt compassionįor his insecurities and his tendency to “draw back” at the hint of a Traits, known as “whinging”-the more pointed British word forĬharles’s early home-schooling was supervised by Catherine Peebles, his The young prince’s tendency to self-pity, which fed one of his strongest At the same time, with the best intentions, she fueled “Her protective side clocked in on hisīehalf,” said her longtime lady-in-waiting, Dame FrancesĬampbell-Preston. With other children, and, when choosing sides for games, to select the SheĮncouraged his kind and gentle nature-the eagerness to share his candy She never hesitated to give her grandson the hugs he craved. Was the person who taught me to look at things,” he recalled.Īs heir to the throne, he made an inviting target for school-mates, She also opened up a world of music and art thatĬharles felt his parents didn’t adequately appreciate. When he was five, she let him explore Shaw Farm, in the Sit on her bed playing with her lipsticks, rattling the tops, marvelingĪt the colors. Visited her frequently at Royal Lodge, her pale-pink home in Windsor Onetime private secretary, observed that Charles “must have beenīaffled by what a natural mother-son relationship was meant to beĬharles was indulged by his maternal grandmother, the Queen Mother, and

Months on a tour of Commonwealth nations. May 1954, when the Queen and Prince Philip greeted five-year-old CharlesĪnd three-year-old Anne with handshakes after an absence of nearly six That lack of tactile connection was achingly apparent in Neither parent was physicallyĭemonstrative. She relied increasingly on her husband to When Elizabeth became Queen, her dedication to her duties meant even less time for her children. The young prince wilted, retreating farther into his shell. ButĬharles’s younger sister, a confident extrovert, could push back, while He was sarcastic with his daughter, Anne, as well. More often than not, the duke was a blunt instrument, unable to resist Shut up,” Charles answered without hesitation: “The whole time, yes.” “tough disciplinarian” and whether he had been told “to sit down and Asked inĪn interview when he was 20 years old whether his father had been a As Philip watched these traits emerging, he worried that Charles couldīecome weak and vulnerable, so he set about toughening him up.
