King Charles: a doting grandfather behind closed doors

King Charles III has stepped into some rather big shoes. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II was not just a loved monarch but also the family's matriarch. The Late Queen was renowned for her dedication to her family and she loved having her family around - especially the younger members. Charles, also, is a doting grandfather and we look at his family life behind closed doors to get a glimpse of his role as 'grandfather.'

Charles is lucky to have five grandchildren from his two children. Three descend from the Prince of Wales, William: Prince George, Princess Charlotte Prince Louis; and two from his younger son, Prince Harry: Archie and Lilibet.

Ensuring the world hears his responsibility for his grandchildren, Charles was proud to mention Lilibet - a few days after she was born - in a visit to the Mini Factory in Cowley: "The development of technology like electric vehicles… is vital for maintaining the health of our world for future generations, something I am only too aware of today, having recently become a grandfather for the fifth time."

The world is not sure what kind of relationship Charles really has with Lilibet, who lives in California. The little girl was not present at her great-grandmother’s funeral (understandable due to the high profile nature of the event) and stayed at home with her maternal grandmother and her older brother.

Harry and Meghan’s oldest child, Archie, was born in the UK and surrounded by the royal family. Since the boy’s parents stepped down from royal duties, they moved to California where Archie has had a rural upbringing, away from the media. But the children did return to visit their British family at the Queen’s Platinum jubilee earlier in 2022.

At the time, Prince Charles welcomed his grandchildren with open arms at Her Late Majesty’s jubilee celebrations. A senior royal source spoke to The Sun and revealed Charles was "absolutely thrilled" to spend time with his grandchildren after time apart.

The source continued: "The prince, of course, hasn't seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him…He hadn't met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing."

Prince Louis is Charles' youngest grandson from his first child, William. William and his wife, Kate live close to The King and are constantly working together on their royal duties. The three children refer to their King as 'Grandpa Wales' and it is clear they all have a special relationship with the sovereign.

According to New Idea, a source shared that the King ‘adores his cheeky little grandson’. "No one makes Charles laugh like Louis, with his bombastic ways and bursts of energy. Equally, no one can calm Louis down like 'Grandpa Wales' can. They have a special bond."

Many remember Prince Louis's antics during The Late Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations where he defied his mother and generally created trouble - as that of any 4-year-old. It was clear the young Prince needed one particular family member to calm him down.

The British public watched as Louis was caught asking to ‘go and sit with pa’ as he barged past his brother, sister, and father to sit on his Grandfather’s lap. He seemed to settle down and watch the rest of the show happily.

Of course, as with most children, they remind grandparents of their own children. It seems Prince Louis has a similar temperament to his Uncle, Prince Harry. A source for New Idea reflected, "Charles often remarks that George is like seeing William as a child all over again, and Louis is Harry."

When Louis turned 2 in 2020, the then-Prince Charles took to Instagram to share a beautiful black and white photo of an embrace with his grandson. To add to the already adorable moment, the photo was, in fact, taken by the then-Duchess of Cambridge herself, Kate.

Photo: Her Royal Highness, Princess of Wales

When his third royal grandchild, Louis was born in 2018, Charles said: "It is a great joy to have another grandchild, the only trouble is I don't know how I am going to keep up with them," as reported by the Express.

The eldest granddaughter of the monarch also takes a special place in Charles’ heart. At the time she was born in 2015, she was the only granddaughter he had. The Express quotes the King as saying, "I was hoping for a granddaughter — someone to look after me when I am very old."

In the BBC documentary, Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Camilla spoke out about Charles’ talents as a grandfather. Her Majesty The Queen Consort previously stated, "He will get down on his knees and crawl about with them for hours — you know, making funny noises and laughing." A real hoot for the kids.

The King’s first grandson. Of course, the similarities between George and his father, William, are clear and the three share a special bond - they will all be King.

George is now older and, at 9 years old, now has a slightly different relationship with his grandfather than that of his younger brother, for example. This maturity allows Charles to have a more established relationship.

The Sunday Times Magazine interviewed Getty photographer Chris Jackson, who took photos of the royals all together and he certainly noticed a charming bond between the two. He said, "George was very happy on the prince's knee. They have a great relationship that's a little more established, as George is a bit older."

Photo: The Prince and Princess of Wales

Indeed, the entire photoshoot was a joy for the photographer. The King had kept the younger royals entertained, despite it being slightly chaotic. Jackson said, "It was lovely chaos with the children. He is a very hands-on grandfather… He was holding hands with George and Charlotte, and bouncing Louis up and down for a long time."

The eldest son of the monarch agrees his father does a great job. During an interview in 'Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,' he described his dad as being a "brilliant" grandfather. However, William does wish they could spend more time together.

Prince William said, "It's something I'm working more heavily on, put it that way. I think he does have time for it, but I would like him to have more time with the children."

It was clear during the pandemic that Charles also wanted more time with the children. The distance was tough when there are little ones involved. As BestLife reports, "I've been doing the FaceTime, which is all very well. But it isn't the same, is it? You really want to give people a hug every now and then."

Charles views the 'job' of grandfather as a rewarding and important one and he spoke to The Telegraph in 2013 about how he learned from his late grandmother about ensuring close relationships.

He said, "The great thing is to encourage grandchildren. Show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that, she was wonderful. It is very important to create a bond when they are very young."

"I think he's… now he's reached his 70th year it's a perfect time to consolidate a little bit because, as most families would do, you are worried about having them around and making sure their health's okay," Prince William said of 'Grandpa Wales' in the BBC documentary. "And he's the fittest man I know, but equally I want him to be fit until he's 95." Long Live the King.