Jobson: King Charles ‘grew closer’ to both of his parents in their final years

The Daily Mail has serialized the hell out of royal biographer Robert Jobson’s latest book, Our King. Jobson has a lot of access to King Charles’s royal court, and Jobson is also unhinged – this is the man who feels entirely comfortable “joking” on-air about dangling the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children off the palace balcony. So, that should tell you a lot about which biographers are approved by King Charles and Queen Camilla. One of the most obvious pro-Charles stories in the book seems to be Charles using Jobson to utterly rewrite his relationship with his father, Prince Philip. Philip and Charles famously did not get along and did not understand each other, but to hear Jobson’s version of events, Philip and Charles softened towards each other a lot in Philip’s final years.

During the final years of their lives, both the Queen and Prince Philip had seen Charles more often and grown closer to him. The change was most marked between father and son.

‘They had both mellowed,’ said a well-placed source. ‘In recent years, they were much more accepting of the other’s point of view. They had always loved one another very much – that had never been in question. But there was a deeper respect, and it was growing as time went by. They shared common ground on the future direction of the monarchy, on religious issues – even on the environment.’

The common view is that Philip had never really appreciated his sensitive eldest son, being so different from his tougher and more resilient daughter. But a member of Charles’s close circle of friends told me: ‘The idea that the two men spent a lifetime at loggerheads, and that the Princess Royal was the son he wished he’d had, is out of date and wrong. A much more accurate picture over the past ten years is of two very strong-willed people who came to understand each other’s point of view – a father and son who loved each other and enjoyed a relationship of mutual respect and affection. Over the last year of Philip’s life, they were the closest that they had ever been.’

At 99, the Duke of Edinburgh knew that his days were numbered when he left hospital in March 2021 after a stay of nearly a month. But he wanted to spend those final days with the Queen at Windsor Castle. He died on April 9, 2021. Hours earlier, Charles had been at his bedside, talking about plans for the Duke’s 100th birthday. He had to repeat himself at volume as Philip had been growing increasingly deaf. ‘We are talking about your birthday, and whether there’s going to be a reception,’ boomed Charles.

After Philip’s death, the Queen turned to Charles more and more – not only to take her place when she was unable to carry out engagements, but also for advice. Whenever he was due to conduct an investiture at Windsor Castle, Charles arranged to stay the night there and have dinner with his mother, instead of returning to Highgrove in Gloucestershire. He knew the Queen was nearing the end of her life, and wanted to be there for her.

Last May, it was clear her reign was gradually drawing to a close. Dutiful to the last, she drew great comfort from the fact that both Charles and William were well qualified to succeed her, and that the birth of Prince George had helped ensure the continuation of the monarchy.

[From The Daily Mail]

To the victor go the spoils – Charles is free to completely rewrite the narrative of his relationship with his parents. Charles didn’t “grow closer” to his mother in her final years, he was just the regent in everything but name. He was largely in charge as his mother’s faculties were in a steep decline in her final few years. And yet… I get the feeling that QEII’s staff did a lot to “protect” the queen from her own children, Charles and Andrew included. Look no further than the arrangements made when Andrew settled out of court with Virginia Giuffre – Charles was the one pulling the strings, arranging for a quid pro quo – Andrew got to “borrow” money from the Duchy of Lancaster and in exchange, QEII signed off on “Queen Consort Camilla.” Charles was blatantly manipulating his elderly and ill mother. As for Charles’s relationship with Philip… I have no idea. I believe that they made their peace with each other in Philip’s final years, but I think mostly Philip just wanted to be left alone with Penny.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN and Backgrid.