Prince Charles has had his fair share of unpopularity. And most of it stemmed from the fact that he left Princess Diana for another woman. However, people close to him attest that he was a good father, and is now an excellent grandparent. The Duchess of Cornwall and his wife, Camilla is accompanying him on a tour of South and Southeast Asia. They are expected to visit Singapore today.
The misunderstood prince
When you are going to be the king, you are going to lead a life of isolation. And that is what Prince Charles did his entire life. He was lonely at school, had very few friends, loved someone bud could not marry her due to societal pressures and ended up marrying someone else.
A reticent man who tried hard to make his marriage work, Prince Charles is the misunderstood prince of the Royal family. He is often branded as the bad boy of the royalty, owing to his affair with his present wife. However, in fairness, Lady Diana and Prince Charles did try hard to make the marriage work. They had their differences like any other couple. But I we can have a verbal spat with my wife and she can do the same to me. We get it out of our system and make up.
However, it was not possible for the royal couple to do so, being the centre of public news. And so, they split. While Lady Diana has been wholly credited for raising such amazing children, Prince Charles did his share of parenting instead of leaving everything to nannies.
And so, a part of the charming persona of Prince William and Prince Harry is because of their father. But, owing to his private nature, you will never see parenting tips from Prince Charles, whereas there is abundant literature about Lady Diana raising her children.
So, after sifting through a lot of literature on his life, here are 3 things that attest that he is a good father!
1# He plays a huge part in the character-building of the princes
When Lady Diana passed away in 1997, the young princes were 16 and 11. It is the age when you start to build a character. And even though Lady Diana played a monumental role in shaping their personality, the Princes get their demeanour, manners and value system from their father.
Even though the Prince is not a big fan of public events, he is royalty personified. He is dignified, knows what to say and knows how to handle the press. And I believe that the Princes got it from him.
2# He protects his children
After their mother’s death, the children did not arrive at their residence immediately, and Prince Charles took some public flack for it. But he was just making sure that his children were okay. It was difficult for them to be in this situation, but he did it anyway.
He has made sure to spend time with them in the eye of the public and in private and he is just the same in both the instances. This is protecting them in a way because this is the only way they learn what is important and what isn’t!
3# He isn’t afraid of speaking his mind, and the princes get it from him!
Prince Charles supports charities and has his own advocacies. Lady Diana visited hospitals and so did he. He is known to write spidery letters to the ministers keeping the public interest in mind. And I believe that this has influenced the Princes as well. Both Prince William and Prince Harry support many charities, and not just by giving money. They are actively involved in raising funds for these charities.
The young princes are not afraid of mixing with the proletariat, and that lesson in humility and a respect for human life is invaluable. And I believe that Prince Charles had a big role to play in this.
So as Singapore welcomes Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, let us take some parenting lessons from them!
(Image: Shutterstock)
Also, read Lady Diana called her children hours before the fatal accident
