Inside Charles’s Painful Childhood, and His Unusual Marriage to Camilla

0:03 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. The King and his late father, Prince Philip, had a famously complicated relationship, with former BBC royal correspondent Jenny Bond recalling how two very different personalities eventually found greater understanding as Philip grew older. Writing in the iPaper, Bond revisited Jonathan Drimblebee's authorised biography of Charles, published more than 30 years ago. The book portrayed a difficult childhood in which the young Charles reportedly struggled with his father's tough approach to parenting. Bond recalled being with Princess Diana in Tokyo as the Revelations dominated headlines. Diana told her, I can't bear to read it. The headlines are bad enough.

0:52 Philip wasn't happy about the book either. He later described Charles' decision to make his grievances public as bloody stupid and said it had made him bloody angry. Queen Elizabeth was reportedly saddened by the disclosures as well. According to Dimbleby's account, Charles was frequently reduced to tears by his father's behaviour. One close relative said Philip regarded Charles as a bit of a wimp and sometimes belittled him publicly, causing the naturally sensitive Charles to retreat further into himself. But Bond argues that Philip's parenting needs to be understood partly through the extraordinary circumstances involved. of his own childhood. Philip's family was exiled from Greece when he was young, his parents separated, his mother Princess Alice was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and Philip spent much of his childhood without a stable family home. His response to hardship was essentially to refuse to dwell on it. Philip believed there was little point in complaining or feeling sorry for yourself, you simply had to get on with it. That attitude collided with Charles' very different personality. Philip once described himself as a pragmatist and Charles as a romantic. He acknowledged that they saw the world differently, but rejected the idea that this made him unfeeling. Charles eventually came to recognize some value in that difference, acknowledging that his father could provide advice from a perspective very different from his own, even when Philip delivered that advice rather brusquely. Bond believes Charles ultimately became a very different kind of father himself. He was more affectionate toward William and Harry, and also embraced

2:22 his role as a grandfather. Just as Philip was furious about Charles publicly discussing his childhood and family problems, Bond believes Charles almost certainly feels similarly about Harry discussing his grievances through interviews, television programs and his memoir. The difference, she argues, is that Charles appears more willing to try to repair the relationship. Bond describes Charles' relationship with Harry as still fragile but gradually improving, while saying the King and Prince William are now closer than ever. Philip himself also appeared to soften with age. At his golden wedding anniversary celebrations, the famously unsentimental Duke offered unusually public praise for his children. Philip said, Like all families, we went through the full range of the pleasures and tribulations of bringing up children. I am naturally somewhat biased, but I think our children have all done rather well under very difficult and demanding circumstances, and I hope I can be forgiven for feeling proud of them. King Charles and Queen Camilla have been married for more than 20 years, but they apparently still don't necessarily spend their weekends together. According to Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English, Charles and Camilla frequently retreat to their own separate country homes when their schedules allow. Charles heads to Highgrove House, his Gloucestershire home and the place where he has spent decades developing his famous gardens. Camilla, meanwhile, often goes to Raymill House, her privately owned home in Wiltshire. English explained... I can understand why it looks a little odd to people, but it actually works for them. Ray Mill has been Camilla's personal

3:53 retreat since long before she became Queen. She bought the property following the breakdown of her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, whom she divorced in 1995. And when Camilla prepared to marry Charles in 2005, she apparently wasn't interested in giving it up. English said Camilla made very clear that she wanted to keep it. That wasn't necessarily a simple decision, maintaining a separate private residence for the future Queen... also meant dealing with additional security requirements. But Ray Mill offered Camilla something a royal residence couldn't. English explained, it's a real bolt hole for her. It's very informal. It also gives Camilla a place to spend time with her children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, and her grandchildren, without all the formality that comes with royal life. More palace in just a moment. Prince Edward's former school friend, Tanya Rose, is sharing a great story about what it was like to be a teenage guest of the royal family at Sandringham.

4:47 Rose attended Gordonstoun with Edward and was just 14 when he invited her to Sandringham shortly after Christmas in 1979. Speaking on Amanda Wakeley's Style DNA podcast, she remembered receiving an intimidating list explaining exactly what she would need to wear... During the visit, Rose said, I was 14 and Edward invited me to Sandringham just after Christmas, so it was just me who was not family. The required wardrobe was substantial. Rose recalled needing four outfits for breakfast, four outfits for tea, shooting things, barbers, Wellington boots, as well as clothes for the evenings. I did not have that wardrobe, so we had to go out and buy everything, she said. Then came Sandringham itself. The first night, it was terrifying, Rose recalled.

5:31 After dinner, the women withdrew to another room, leaving 14-year-old Rose in the company of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne. Rose said the Queen immediately realized how nervous her young guest was. The Queen was so divine because she knew I was nervous, Rose said, so she started doing impressions of her groom and just being so sweet to me. She was lovely. The first night, I remember the Queen Mother saying to me, Is that a family heirloom? And I said, Well, my mummy did give it to me, but I didn't say it's from Fenwick's. The Royal Train has carried generations of royals around Britain. Former Royal Butler Grant Harold described the Royal Train as a mini-hotel on rails. And one feature apparently surprised even him. He said, it also has a gift shop, which was interesting.

6:15 The train has long allowed senior royals to travel around Britain while maintaining some privacy and continuing to work between engagements. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were frequent users. Charles and Camilla have travelled aboard it, as have Prince William and Catherine. William and Catherine made particularly prominent use of the train in December 2020 when they embarked on a three-day tour of Britain to thank frontline and community workers during the pandemic. According to Harold, overnight royal journeys weren't exactly roughing it. The train has sleeping accommodations, although Harold said members of the family always brought an overnight bag. There were also chefs on board to prepare meals. Harold said they would always have chefs and meals on board, so it was like a hotel. He said meals depended on the time of the journey, with continental breakfasts and Dinners featuring meat or fish? Harold compared the standard of food with what you'd expect at a five-star hotel. But the train wasn't simply somewhere for the royals to eat and sleep. Harold said, I know the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also worked on the royal train too. It was more than a mode of transport. It was a popular way to travel and do work. But that particular piece of royal tradition is approaching the end of the line. The royal train is expected to be taken out of service in 2027 as part of efforts to reduce costs. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, the address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial free. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott.

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