Northern Ireland.
By marriage to the heir-apparent to the throne, Diana received both a
title, "Princess
of Wales", and the
style, "Her Royal Highness". (Though commonly called Princess
Diana, such a form of address was incorrect.) They made their homes
at
Highgrove in Gloucestershire and
Kensington Palace. Almost immediately, Diana became a star
attraction, chased by the paparazzi and the news media, her every move
(including changes in hair-style) followed by millions. However, the
marriage soon hit the rocks. Critics of Diana alleged that she was
unstable and tempermental; one by one she sacked each of Charles's
longstanding staff members and fell out with numerous friends (her
father, mother, brother, Duchess of York,
Elton John, her own staff -- who quit after rows). Charles, too, was
blamed for the marital troubles. He and
Camilla Shand had ended their relationship in the 1970s and now
found themselves in unhappy marriages. The restart of their affair in
the late 1980s was to destroy what remained of the fairytale Charles and
Diana marriage, which within five years of the wedding was already on
the brink of collapse. Ironically, Charles and Diana were similar in
some respects: Both had troubled childhoods. Both took their public
roles seriously and devoted much of their time to charity work, becoming
highly regarded for it. (Diana notably devoted much time to helping
AIDS
sufferers, while Charles devoted much effort to marginalised groups in
urban centres through his Prince's Trust charity).
Both partners subsequently admitted to extra-marital affairs, he with
Mrs. Parker Bowles, she with a number of people, including a young army
officer. Though they remained publicly a couple, they effectively had
separated by the late 1980s, he living in Highgrove, she in Kensington
Palace. The media noted their increasing periods apart and their obvious
discomfort at being in each other's presence. By 1992, it was obvious
that the marriage was over in all but name. The couple formally
separated, with media sources taking different sides in what became
known as the "War of the Waleses". Charles received much of the blame
when details of his relationship with Mrs. Parker Bowles were revealed.
She and her husband divorced, and he married a woman with whom he had
had a long-term relationship during his marriage.
Divorce
The marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales formally ended in
divorce in 1996. It had produced two sons,
Prince William and
Prince Henry, who is known by the name 'Harry'. Tragically, Diana
was killed in a car accident in 1997. Charles earned considerable praise
for his handling of the events and their aftermath, in particular his
over-ruling of palace protocol experts (and indeed the Queen) who argued
that as Diana (by then known as
Diana, Princess of Wales) was no longer a member of the Royal
Family, the responsibility for her funeral arrangements belonged to her
blood relatives, the Spencers. Charles, against advice, flew to Paris to
accompany his ex-wife's body home and insisted that she be given a
formal royal funeral; a new category of formal funeral was specially
created for her. His role as a single father earned much sympathy, in
particular in how he handled a crisis when it was revealed that his
younger son, Prince Harry, had dabbled in soft drugs. From extreme
unpopularity in the early 1990s, Charles became one of the more popular
members of the Royal Family.
Relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles
His relationship with
Camilla Parker Bowles is now openly acknowledged, with her becoming
his unofficial consort. However two issues remain over the relationship.
As future Supreme Governor of the
Church of England, the prospect of him marrying a divorc?, with whom
he had a relationship while both were married, is controversial. (Since
Diana, Princess of Wales has died, he himself is technically a widower,
not a divorc? and so there is no problem with him marrying a
second time. But as Mrs. Parker Bowles has a former husband still alive,
she is technically a divorc?, hence the problem.) However public opinion
and opinion within the Church has shifted somewhat to a point where a
majority would accept a second marriage. However he is unlikely to marry
until public opinion expects as opposed to
merely accepts a remarriage.
Secondly and more sensitively,
there remains the issue of Mrs.
Parker Bowles' title after
marriage. In strict constitutional
law, she would automatically assume
the title 'Princess of Wales' and
the style 'Royal Highness'. Such a
development is almost universally
unacceptable, even to those
supporting a marriage between the
couple. Legislation may have to be
enacted allowing for a
morganatic marriage, whereby she
could neither become a princess or
queen, and would not be styled HRH,
but would use a courtesy title,
perhaps 'Duchess of Cornwall'. (He
is Duke of Cornwall.) Though her age
suggests it is highly improbable,
such legislation would also need to
state that any children of the union
would be excluded from the
succession to the throne. Practical
issues would also potentially arise
over the status of her children by
her first marriage, who in the event
of a second marriage would become
step-children of the future king and
step-brothers and step-sisters to
Princes William and Harry. (And so
the focus of media attention, hence
the need for some clarifications,
such as inheritance rights to
property of the Prince of Wales,
police protection, etc.)
Personal Interests
The Prince of Wales is an avid
horseman and huntsman. He served in
the
Royal Navy, commanding the HMS
Bronington, a minehunter, from
February 1976 until December 1976.
He is also a talented artist and a
published writer. The Prince's
Trust, which he founded, is a
charity that works mainly with young
people, offering loans to groups,
businesses and people (often in
deprived areas) who had difficulty
receiving support from mainstream
lending institutions. The Prince's
Trust is believed to have helped
thousands of people in poor
inner-city areas get jobs and
training. In this role, the Prince
has become surprisingly popular with
many left-wing politicians, who see
his charity as helping those who
were receiving aid from nowhere
else. Fundraising concerts are
regularly held for the Prince's
Trust, with leading pop, rock and
classical musicians taking part.
Charles is a complex character.
An openly-admitted depressive, a
passionate man who cares deeply
about issues such as the
environment, architecture,
inner-city renewal and the quality
of life. To put his ideas on
architecture and
town planning into practice,
Charles is developing the village of
Poundbury in
Dorset.
Charles is also highly regarded
on the international stage as an
effective performer for the United
Kingdom. On a visit to the
Republic of Ireland, for
example, instead of simply using a
standard foreign office speech, he
delivered a personally-researched,
personally-written speech on
Anglo-Irish affairs which was
warmly received by Irish politicians
and the Irish media.
While his popularity has
fluctuated, he remans the most
active Prince of Wales in centuries,
who, while he could have opted for a
low-key life, has devoted his time
and effort to charity work and
working with local communities. Only
the issue of his relationship with
Camilla (and allegations by one
former staff member, as of yet not
publicly substantiated, of a s--ual
relationship with a male aide)
remain as complicating factors in
his public image and persona.
Official Residence
The Prince of Wales's current
official London residence is
Clarence House, former London
residence of the late Queen
Elizabeth the Queen Mother (the
eighteenth century building has
undergone major restoration and
renovation to equip it for use by
him, his partner and their extensive
personal and office staffs).
His previous oficial residence
was an apartment in
St. James's Palace.
Some previous Princes of Wales
resided in
Marlborough House. It however is
no longer used as a royal residence.
Following the death in
1953 of Queen
Mary, widow of King
George V, its last royal
resident, it was given by Queen
Elizabeth II for use by the
Commonwealth of Nations.
Principal Title in use
- His Royal Highness, Prince
Charles of Edinburgh (from birth
to 1952)
- His Royal Highness, The
Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
(1952 to 1958)
- His Royal Highness The
Prince of Wales (1958-)
(England, Wales, Northern
Ireland and internationally)
- His Royal Highness The
Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay
(1952-) (Scotland)
See also:
List of Titles and Honours of
Charles, Prince of Wales;
British Royal Family
Children
-
William Arthur Philip Louis
Mountbatten-Windsor
-
Henry Charles Albert David
Mountbatten-Windsor
