Not surprisingly, it seems that King Charles’ battle with cancer has brought him closer to his eldest son, Prince William.
Equally unsurprising is the fact that Charles’ health issues have put him in a reflective mood and led him to dole out advice to the future king.
But while you might expect that Charles would be advising his son on how to fulfill the duties of the throne, it seems the monarch has been focusing on much more personal matters.
King Charles Offers Marriage Advice to Prince William
According to journalist and royal expert Ingrid Seward, Charles recently cautioned William not to repeat the mistakes that he had made in his own marriages.
“[His father] said, ‘Look, William, there’s nothing more important than your family,’” Seward claimed in a recent interview with Fox News.
“’Don’t make the mistakes that I made,’” she quoted Charles as saying, adding:
“’I just did duty, duty, duty. I neglected my marriage, and look what happened.’”
Charles’ Marital History
Charles has been married to Queen Camilla since 2005, but the couple’s path to the altar was not an easy one.
They first met at a polo match in 1970, but whatever courtship they initiated was interrupted by Charles’ stint in the Royal Navy.
He and Camilla both married other people and later divorced.
Charles’ first wife and William’s mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a 1997 car accident at the age of 36.
The marriage between Charles and Diana was famously fraught, and the two separated on contentious terms.
But by the time of Diana’s death, she and Charles had worked out a civil co-parenting arrangement, and he was reportedly devastated by her passing.
William’s Situation
William’s love life has followed a much more conventional path, but it hasn’t been without its challenges.
Throughout 2024, Kate Middleton battled cancer, announcing in September that she had completed treatment.
Now, as she and William prepare for their new lives as king and queen, Charles is understandably eager to offer advice.
And it seems that his life of royal duty has ironically taught him that nothing is more important than family.