King Charles ‘sprung to life’ during surprise visit from Prince Louis
The King was clearly thrilled when he received a surprise visit.
King Charles is a devoted grandfather (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry may have used his memoir to paint King Charles as a distant father, but the same certainly cannot be said of him as a grandfather. The King is a devoted grandfather to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, whom he has only been able to meet on a handful of occasions.
Speaking about witnessing a special family moment behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, Dame Penny Mordaunt revealed that the King “sprung to life” when the youngest members of his family visited. Speaking at Cheltenham Literature Festival, the former Defence Secretary, 53, recalled how King Charles was “bored out of his mind” during rehearsals for his Coronation ceremony – until a surprise visit from his three grandchildren.
The King “sprung to life” at the sight of Prince Louis, in particular, and immediately halted rehearsals so he could show Prince William and Catherine’s youngest child the Crown Jewels, Dame Penny told the crowds.
Dame Penny played a key role in the 2023 coronation as Lord President of the Council. She carried the 17th-century Sword of State made for Charles II into Westminster Abbey, and exchanged it for the Jewelled Sword of Offering, which she delivered to the archbishop.
The King was delighted when his grandson came to sit on his knee at the Platinum Jubilee pageant (Image: Getty)
Prince Louis asked if he could sit with his grandfather during the parade (Image: Getty)
By contrast, Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, painted a very different picture of King Charles. “Pa didn’t hug me,” he wrote, recalling they “mostly co-existed” after the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Harry wrote: “Pa and I mostly co-existed. He had trouble communicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face. On occasion, after a long multi-course dinner, I’d walk upstairs and find a letter on my pillow. The letter would say how proud he was of me for something I’d done or accomplished. I’d smile, place it under my pillow, but also wonder why he hadn’t said this moments ago, while seated directly across from me.”
As well as George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet, the King is also the step-grandfather of Queen Camilla’s five grandchildren: Lola and Freddie Parker-Bowles and Eliza, Gus and Louis Lopes.
During a 2018 tour of Ghana, the then Prince of Wales left little doubt that his interest in preserving the natural world is largely about protecting it for future generations. He told the crowd: “It does seem to me insanity if we are going to bequeath this completely polluted, damaged and destroyed world to them.” He continued: “All grandchildren deserve a better future.”
Demonstrating this commitment close to home, the King made a touching tribute to his eldest grandson, George, by naming a woodland after him.
During an appearance on The One Show, the King discussed sustainable living and revealed the story behind Prince George’s Wood: “This was a rather empty field that the farm didn’t need anymore. The great thing was that I managed to plant it the same year that my grandson was born, the eldest, George, so I thought I’d call it Prince George’s wood.”
