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The Prince of Wales has never had a clearly defined role, other than that of being a heavily-marketed royal figurehead; the middle-aged Charles is now losing even this, sidelined by a new generation of celebrity royals. Twenty years after Charles' marriage to Diana Spencer, Channel 4 assesses the past and future of The Real Prince Charles. Splendours and miseries Charles was born in November 1948; four and a half years later, he became heir to the throne when his mother was crowned queen. While Charles has often spoken of the miseries of his upbringing, his childhood was spent neither in aristocratic isolation nor under the media spotlight. He was educated at Cheam preparatory school, the Scottish public school Gordonstoun and Geelong Grammar ('the Eton of Australia'). The Duke of Edinburgh's old school, Gordonstoun, is renowned for its 'holistic' – and physically spartan – approach to education; Charles devoted himself to watercolours. He then went to Trinity College, Cambridge, followed by the RAF and the Royal Navy. Charles made his debut as a public figure in 1969. He had borne the title of Prince of Wales since 1958, but now Buckingham Palace proposed a formal investiture. Charles was ceremonially presented to the people of Wales at Caernarvon Castle, symbolically marking his passage into adulthood. The investiture was masterminded by Nigel Neilson, a PR professional. A shrewd combination of traditional pageantry and contemporary design, it was a great success. A survey showed that it heightened awareness of the royal family's detachment from everyday life, while at the same time increasing support for the monarchy. To defuse criticism from growing Welsh nationalism, Charles spent a term at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, learning to speak Welsh. He then gave a speech to the Welsh youth organisation Urdd Gobaith Cymru. In search of a role On leaving the Navy at 28, Charles had two problems. Since Queen Victoria, every British monarch but one had been married by the age of 30, the exception being the previous Prince of Wales, whose attachment to Wallis Simpson cost him the throne. Charles also needed a role; in this case the precedent haunting the Palace was Edward VII, whose long career as Prince of Wales had been devoted to gambling and adultery. This problem was addressed by the creation of the Prince's Trust, which involved the Prince in training and community projects. The marriage question was more difficult, and the search for a pedigreed virgin was on. In February 1981, Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer. They were married in July, in a fairytale ceremony which, like the investiture, rallied public support for the monarchy while presenting it in otherworldly terms. At 32, Charles was 12 years older than his bride. He was also emotionally involved with Camilla Parker-Bowles, a former girlfriend who was now married. Edward VII, Charles's great-great-grandfather, had had a series of mistresses, including Alice Keppel, Camilla's great-grandmother. History looked set to repeat itself. There was also the question of a public role. Charles' freedom of action was restricted by the long-standing convention that royalty kept out of politics. But although he avoided political issues, Charles refused to be silent. Attending the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1984, Charles attacked modern architecture and its creation of 'giant glass stumps'. He went on to speak out on topics ranging from alternative medicine to organic farming, becoming a spokesman for a mystically-tinged green conservatism. Behind the facade Meanwhile, the fairytale marriage was coming unstuck. In 1992, Andrew Morton's Diana: Her true story presented Diana's account of her marriage: bulimia, suicide attempts and all. Later that year, the couple separated. Widely viewed as the villain of the piece, Charles was further damaged in 1993 by the circulation of a transcript of an intimate telephone conversation with Camilla Parker-Bowles, with whom he was now having an affair. Diana's death in 1997 created the conditions for one last Palace PR operation, aimed at reviving Charles's reputation – and rehabilitating the now divorced Camilla Parker-Bowles. However, the public image of royalty had changed since 1969; significantly, the outpouring of grief over Diana centred on her personal qualities rather than her role as a princess. Since Charles became Prince of Wales, the monarchy has appealed increasingly to celebrity rather than nobility. Prince William is already being spoken of as the next king – and is seen as a star to rival his mother. Charles's greatest achievement may be to have made himself irrelevant. |
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