Prince Charles Grew Up In The Shadow Of This ‘Doomed’ Royal

Prince Charles reportedly grew up in the long shadow of one of his royal relatives and it’s not his dad Prince Philip.

Growing up, Prince Charles was reminded to not follow in the footsteps of his Uncle David. Royal author Ted Powell told Express that the future King was constantly reminded of Edward VIII’s abdication and his decision to ditch the crown for love.

“Edward’s abdication has cast a long shadow over the life of Prince Charles. When Charles was a young man in the 1970s, the example of ‘Uncle David’ was repeatedly held up to him as a dreadful warning of how the Prince of Wales should not behave,” he said.

In 1936, Edward VIII shocked the entire world when he chose to abdicate from the throne to pursue his relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. His decision was strongly opposed by Buckingham Palace and the government. But this resulted in George VI being crowned as King, and it also paved the way for Queen Elizabeth II to be the head of the monarchy.

Prince Charles’ closest royal ally, Lord Mountbatten, was the one that reminded the dad of two, again and again, to not follow Uncle David’s path.

“Earl Mountbatten, who had known Edward well during the 1920s, took it upon himself to act as a mentor to the young Prince Charles. He was particularly concerned that he should not make the same mistake of postponing marriage as Edward had done. On one occasion he wrote to Charles, ‘I thought you were beginning on the downward slope which wrecked your Uncle David’s life and led to this disgraceful abdication and futile life after,’” Powell said.

In related news, Judi James, a body language expert, claimed that Prince Charles has actually become more like Mountbatten especially now that he’s nearing becoming King.

“As Charles and Camilla edge closer to the throne, they seem to be sending out an empathic message via the body language that they intend to do royalty the old way,” she told Express.