According to what Prince Harry wrote in his memoir, Spare, King Charles wasn’t the most affectionate father to his boys, even when they lost their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. But now, royal insiders say everything has changed. Reportedly, Charles is a “completely different” person from the man he once was — and one royal source says he was far more cuddly with his sons off camera than some may have guessed.
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Not only is Charles reportedly a 'good hugger' these days, but he was also described as 'warm.'
A palace source told The Telegraph that at 76, Charles is actually a bit of a mush — go figure!
“He is a genuinely warm and affectionate man who is not embarrassed to express that in a public way,” they said. “He’s a human and relatable person.”
Prince Harry didn't describe his dad as warm at all.
In fact, as the Daily Mail pointed out, the man described in Spare actually sounds quite the opposite. Harry wrote that Charles and the older royals had a “nearly zero-tolerance prohibition on all physical contact.”
“No hugs, no kisses, no pats. Now and then, maybe a light touching of cheeks — on special occasions,” he wrote.
However, a book about the monarch says this may not have actually been true — especially in private.
In Penny Juror’s book Charles: Victim or Villain, she wrote that he would even hug his sons when they were all muddy from playing outside.
“When William and Harry were small, one of the biggest problems Charles’ valets had was keeping his suits clean,” she wrote. “Whenever Charles arrived home at Highgrove by helicopter, it would land in the front field, where sheep graze. As soon as William and Harry heard it overhead, they could come running out to meet him. Once it had landed safely, they would race across the field and jump up into his arms for a hug, smearing one suit after another with the sheep droppings they had trodden in on the way.”
She's not the only one who has written about Charles' openness to those he loves.
Royal expert Robert Jobson called Charles “a pretty good hugger.”
“The people around the royal family can be strict, but the actual royals themselves have always been fairly relaxed,” Robert told Daily Mail. “He is quite tactile and always has been. He’s got a twinkle in his eye.”
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He may have simply mellowed with age.
After all, that does happen — plenty of people out there are completely different as grandparents than they were as parents. But given all of the ups and downs the royals have had over the past few years, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that Charles is ready to make nice with those around him and really soak in the time he does get with his loved ones.
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