Prince Charles Haunted By His Past

Growing anger over the heir’s affair has the Queen facing a most difficult decision

Prince Charles is the first to admit he was never truly embraced by the British public. A dour boy who complained of being under-loved by “cold and distant” parents, he grew into a solemn, introverted young man who felt bullied into taking the “right kind of wife” by his family, the media and his subjects.

When he eventually did by marrying Lady Diana Spencer, she was adored, while he was ignored. After it was revealed that his marriage to the princess was over amid allegations of a long-running affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, he became public enemy number one, with cries echoing from across the Commonwealth that he didn’t deserve to be king.

In recent years, after marrying Camilla, 73, and raising his sons into well-liked young men, the first in line to the throne enjoyed a slight resurgence in popularity. However, in a recent poll, the Prince of Wales is only popular with 47 per cent of Britons, compared to his mother’s 78 per cent and Prince William’s 73 per cent. Charles’ wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, is liked by just 34 per cent of the population.

TV BACKLASH

Charles’ numbers have plummeted in the past month, thanks to Netflix series The Crown, which has been watched by more viewers than William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton. The current season portrays him as emotionally abusive toward his now-deceased ex-wife.