LEAVING A LEGACY

From climate change to transforming young lives through the Prince's Trust, Charles was ahead of the game in caring

It was a telling assessment of a small child destined for big things. In the mid1950s, Miss Catherine Peebles, appointed as governess to a young Prince Charles, revealed that the best way to get through to her pupil was not by raising her voice, but by showing patience and understanding.

“He’s very responsive to kindness,” she explained.

Kindness is a value that has continued to be important for the now King. “While he is quite a complex character, one observation of His Majesty that is not in doubt is that he is a caring person,” says a senior royal aide. “A lot of things he has been driven to do in his life – and will continue to do as Monarch – are because he cares about others.”

In fact, in his first Christmas message as King, Charles III spoke about how everyone can make a difference in this world by the way they treat others. He said he shared with his late mother, the Queen, “a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others, and to shine a light in the world around us. This is the essence of our community and the very foundation of our society”.

His job as a royal has involved supporting hundreds of charities and organisations that touch the lives of others, but those who know him well say it’s not just work for Charles, it’s a passion, and caring about what they do extends beyond visiting their premises and shaking hands.

One of his patronages, Marie Curie, a charity that assists people with terminal illnesses, shared an insight into how having Charles as patron has helped the organisation.