A Letter to Prince Charles

A Letter to Prince Charles

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of visiting the special exhibition at Buckingham Palace. As we wandered around the historical opulence of what could easily be construed as a museum it suddenly struck me that this was in fact a royal home. Not a palace, not a gallery, not a museum or ancient historical artefact but instead a home where families lived and children played.

My mind then strayed to your life and how it must have been as a young boy, knowing that you did not have an easy upbringing. You were sent as a boarder to Prep and Senior schools which forced you into stolid character forming independence befitting of a future monarch. However, I get the feeling that this was not a happy time for you and may not have had quite the desired effect. Of course this is guesswork on my part because I have no basis of experience or indeed knowledge of your deeper character, so please forgive me if I am totally wrong.

In later years you had to endure the inevitable pressures of an heir to the throne, that is the expectation of producing an heir of your own and the never ending speculation that surrounds such matters. Which glittering member of the aristocracy would be your chosen partner to live the fairy tale life of a princess? How many pictures would appear in the tabloids accompanied by pages of gossip and half truths every time you so much as smiled at a woman? Eventually a potential wife did appear, someone who looked ideal to start with though we did not know that you might have preferred a different selection which was not available to you at the time. But at least a solution, the possibility that you could get on with your life within the framework of marriage and the Royal Family plc. Two children were born, two boys who would follow in your footsteps, the future looked positive and bright.

But even then it did not work out for you, the press played their part and I make no comment on your then wife’s actions or the reasons for them. It seemed that fate had decreed yet again that you would not be allowed to have a normal happy life. The only saving grace being that your sons have grown up to be fine men who will do you credit. Yes of course they have made the odd youthful slip which the press have pounced on from time to time, but this only serves to demonstrate their obvious strength of character. It upsets me immeasurably when I see the media continually raking up their mother’s past and laying all kinds of accusations at her door which must be so hurtful to the boys. Yes she did behave in ways which were sometimes at odds with the best interests of the royal family and the country it represents. Yes she did say and do things which showed a lack of discretion and consideration. But surely enough time has passed to let her memory rest in peace and your sons to get on with their lives unmolested by the ill considered manifestations of the world’s media.

In the meantime you have finally married the woman you love and I hope that life will see fit to leave you alone in the years remaining to you, may they be many. There does seem to be much less of you and your wife in the media which has got to be good from your standpoint. Though I am sure the tabloids are mourning the diminished circulation now that they do not have a royal paparazzi magnet any more. I dare say that if your boys kick up the occasional cloud of dust there will be rounds of pictures and gossipy news reports, but hopefully these incidents will soon become few and far between. My only concern now is that your sons will not suffer too much from the media circus when they eventually find someone to love and spend their lives with. The press coverage over the past year, which I am sure helped to break up William’s relationship with Miss Middleton, indicates that they will still have to suffer some level of intrusion. Doubtless they will see spikes of interest as they go through the cycle of engagement, marriage, babies and first days at school, but in between let us wish them reasonably quiet and 'normal' times…the pigs might actually fly, you never know!

Quite honestly I am not sure why I wrote this item. Perhaps it was out of concern as a long term royalist, or from the goodwill generated by the warm hospitality that my wife and I experienced when we attended one of your parents' garden parties at Buckingham Palace. But whatever the reason please accept this open letter as a statement of support and wish for a better happier life for you, your wife and your sons.



	My wife and I recently had the pleasure of visiting the special exhibition at Buckingham Palace. As we wandered around the historical opulence of what could easily be construed as a museum it suddenly struck me that this was in fact a royal home. Not a palace, not a gallery, not a museum or ancient historical artefact but instead a home where families lived and children played. My mind then strayed to your life and how it must have been as a young boy, knowing that you did not have an easy upbringing. You were sent as a boarder to Prep and Senior schools which forced you into stolid character forming independence befitting of a future monarch. However, I get the feeling that this was not a happy time for you and may not have had quite the desired effect. Of course this is guesswork on my part because I have no basis of experience or indeed knowledge of your deeper character, so please forgive me if I am totally wrong. In later years you had to endure the inevitable pressures of an heir to the throne, that is the expectation of producing an heir of your own and the never ending speculation that surrounds such matters. Which glittering member of the aristocracy would be your chosen partner to live the fairy tale life of a princess? How many pictures would appear in the tabloids accompanied by pages of gossip and half truths every time you so much as smiled at a woman? Eventually a potential wife did appear, someone who looked ideal to start with though we did not know that you might have preferred a different selection which was not available to you at the time. But at least a solution, the possibility that you could get on with your life within the framework of marriage and the Royal Family plc. Two children were born, two boys who would follow in your footsteps, the future looked positive and bright. But even then it did not work out for you, the press played their part and I make no comment on your then wife’s actions or the reasons for them. It seemed that fate had decreed yet again that you would not be allowed to have a normal happy life. The only saving grace being that your sons have grown up to be fine men who will do you credit. Yes of course they have made the odd youthful slip which the press have pounced on from time to time, but this only serves to demonstrate their obvious strength of character. It upsets me immeasurably when I see the media continually raking up their mother’s past and laying all kinds of accusations at her door which must be so hurtful to the boys. Yes she did behave in ways which were sometimes at odds with the best interests of the royal family and the country it represents. Yes she did say and do things which showed a lack of discretion and consideration. But surely enough time has passed to let her memory rest in peace and your sons to get on with their lives unmolested by the ill considered manifestations of the world’s media. In the meantime you have finally married the woman you love and I hope that life will see fit to leave you alone in the years remaining to you, may they be many. There does seem to be much less of you and your wife in the media which has got to be good from your standpoint. Though I am sure the tabloids are mourning the diminished circulation now that they do not have a royal paparazzi magnet any more. I dare say that if your boys kick up the occasional cloud of dust there will be rounds of pictures and gossipy news reports, but hopefully these incidents will soon become few and far between. My only concern now is that your sons will not suffer too much from the media circus when they eventually find someone to love and spend their lives with. The press coverage over the past year, which I am sure helped to break up William’s relationship with Miss Middleton, indicates that they will still have to suffer some level of intrusion. Doubtless they will see spikes of interest as they go through the cycle of engagement, marriage, babies and first days at school, but in between let us wish them reasonably quiet and 'normal' times…the pigs might actually fly, you never know! Quite honestly I am not sure why I wrote this item. Perhaps it was out of concern as a long term royalist, or from the goodwill generated by the warm hospitality that my wife and I experienced when we attended one of your parents' garden parties at Buckingham Palace. But whatever the reason please accept this open letter as a statement of support and wish for a better happier life for you, your wife and your sons.