Hardman: King Charles spends time with his white grandkids while Camilla is away

For the past year or so, there’s been a real effort to make King Charles sound like a doting grandfather. While this isn’t the most important subject or biggest royal lie, it’s one which annoys me to no end. Charles doesn’t even like children, nor does he spend much or any time with ANY of his grandkids. It’s even worse than that, because the whole “Charles is a hands-on grandpa” thing was intended for (you guessed it) an audience of one, Prince Harry. Charles wanted to flaunt his closeness with his white grandkids while making a point of shunning his mixed-race grandkids. I recently realized that Charles is significantly breaking a royal pattern here – Charles was coddled by his grandmother, just as QEII was closer to her grandkids than her own children. Charles simply doesn’t give a sh-t about that, he’s too self-absorbed. And Camilla isn’t forcing the issue either – she actually spends time with her grandkids while she stays at Ray Mill, her separate home. Charles just putters around the castle all by himself. But I digress, here’s the latest from Robert Hardman:

Queen Camilla is always supportive of King Charles without overstepping. Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, tells PEOPLE that Queen Camilla “knows the sort of boundaries” that King Charles maintains.

“She wouldn’t want to be getting into the King’s space with his grandchildren,” he says. “She’s not going to push herself. She’s still very keen to maintain. She’s still got her own family. That’s very important to her, and she appreciates how important it is for him.”

Hardman says that King Charles, 75, is a “doting grandfather” to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. In fact, he is spending “a lot more time at Windsor,” the Prince and Princess of Wales’ home base, “than anyone expected.”

“Normally, he’s often there on a Thursday and a Friday. Obviously, the Waleses are within walking distance of the castle,” Hardman says. “He’s never really had that sort of proximity to the younger family. Now, there’s more overlap.”

Hardman says that Queen Camilla “does bring a sort of unstuffiness” to the royal family.

“She can laugh when there are either adverse headlines or there’s some crisis or something. She’s just an upbeat person,” he says. “I could see her in a real crisis, I think she’d be a great asset.”

[From People]

Well, that answers some questions I had about Hardman’s sourcing. Big surprise, you mean Camilla comes out of this book smelling like a rose? Who would have thought!! As I said, Camilla actually has great relationships with her two kids and all of her grandkids. She sees them all the time, they come visit her at Ray Mill. And while she’s with her family, Charles just putters around Windsor Castle or Highgrove or Sandringham. You know he’s not calling Adelaide Cottage and asking if he can pop over to see the kids, nor is he inviting his grandchildren around for tea. Oh well!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.