Why King Charles Was Often "Reduced to Tears" by His Dad Prince Philip, According to a Royal Biographer
"Charles, unlike his feisty sister Anne, did not have the personality to stand up to his father."
Not all relationships between parents and their children are easy. For King Charles, growing up in the Royal Family meant spending most of his time apart from his mom, Queen Elizabeth II, and dad, Prince Philip. But according to one royal expert, when Charles did interact with his father, it often resulted in tears.
In the book My Mother and I, royal expert Ingrid Seward discussed Charles's challenging childhood, including his sometimes tricky relationship with Prince Philip.
"The Queen, being averse to confrontation of any kind, would go along with whatever Philip decided, and Charles, unlike his feisty sister Anne, did not have the personality to stand up to his father," the royal expert and biographer shared.
Seward continued, "As a child, the sensitive and shy Prince Charles was reduced to tears when upbraided by his father for some aspect of his behavior. And it was not only when correcting Charles that Philip brought tears to his son's eyes—he would often belittle him in front of guests."
"Charles, unlike his feisty sister Anne, did not have the personality to stand up to his father."
As noted by Seward, some people were critical of the "rough and bullying way in which the father addressed his son in public, which had the effect of driving Charles more and more back into his shell."
The biographer also referenced a telling interview King Charles gave to the BBC in 1969, in which he was asked whether Prince Philip was "a tough disciplinarian." The King responded, "The whole time, yes! I think he had quite a strong influence on me, particularly in my younger days."
"I think he had quite a strong influence on me, particularly in my younger days."
With age, Philip and Charles's relationship appeared to improve, but it's hard to ignore the difficulties The King must have faced as a young child.
