King Charles is helping to raise Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis so they are 'fully rounded human beings who are unafraid of their emotions'

He wants his grandchildren to avoid 'making mistakes he made'

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with King Charles
(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage and Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

King Charles is reportedly helping to make sure his grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis 'grow up in as normal a way as possible' so they can become 'fully rounded human beings who are unafraid of their emotions,' a royal expert has claimed.


King Charles has long been said to be a 'doting' grandparent, displaying 'genuine warmth' as he interacts with the youngest members of his family and warming the hearts of royal fans across the globe. 

But as well as showing them affection, according to one royal expert, the King is taking care to ensure his grandchildren "grow up in as normal a way as possible" so they can all avoid making the "same mistakes he made."

Chandrika Kaul, who is a Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews, shared how he believes the King is helping to raise Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in a new documentary The Fab Five: The King's Grandchildren, which premiered on Channel 5 on Sunday night (21 May.)

The documentary detailed Charles' relationships with Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, who turned eight just before the Coronation, Prince Louis, five, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, who will turn three next month.

King Charles, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

During the programme, Professor Kaul said, "I think King Charles is very keen that his grandchildren don't make the mistakes that I think he feels he made, particularly when it came to matters of the heart."

She added, "What I think he wants to do is try and help these young grandchildren grow up in as normal a way as possible and create more fully rounded human beings who are unafraid of their emotions and who are able to have the confidence to marry whom they want. And to have a happy, successful and fulfilled personal life."

The experts comments refer to King Charles' biggest scandal that saw the then Prince make headlines worldwide as he admitted he had been unfaithful to his first wife Princess Diana with the now Queen Camilla. 

In 1994, interviewer Jonathan Dimbleby asked Charles if he had been "faithful and honourable" to Princess Diana, to which the Prince replied "Yes. Until [the marriage] became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried."

It has since been reported that Charles never wanted to marry Diana but was pressured to leave his true love, Camilla, and marry someone more suited to royal life. In ITV's 2020 documentary The Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess, Penny Thornton, an astrologer Diana consulted, said, "One of the most shocking things that Diana told me was that the night before the wedding, Charles told her that he didn't love her. I think Charles didn't want to go into the wedding on a false premise. He wanted to square it with her, and it was devastating for Diana."

King Charles, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Elsewhere in the channel 5 documentary, the Scottish Broadcaster and political commentator Ayesha Hazarika explained how Charles ensures his grandchildren feel valued for who they are personally and not for just their positions in the royal line of succession. She said, "Charles, as a good grandfather, will have to explain to the other two that they're not just spares, they're not just surplus to requirement."

His tactics appear to be working, with the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward described Princess Charlotte's "absolute terrific personality". She said, "She's brave, she's quite forceful, she certainly lords it up over her older brother."

5News' royal correspondent Simon Vigar echoed the sentiment, adding that Charlotte is 'changing' the idea of 'the spare' and 'ordering George around.' He explained, "I remember George being quite bossy but I think the dynamic's changed. Recently during public events, we've seen Charlotte taking charge and ordering George around."

News writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.