King Charles III's 'Heartbreakingly Lonely Childhood' Reportedly Was a Source of Tension Between Him & Queen Elizabeth II

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It’s fun to watch King Charles III interact with his grandchildren because they share a close bond. It’s a remarkable difference from how he grew up in the royal household because Charles didn’t share that same closeness with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, until much later in life.

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Christopher Andersen, author of The King: The Life of King Charles III, noted to Us Weekly that Charles had a “heartbreakingly lonely childhood” and that he often felt “abandoned” by the Queen and father Prince Philip because much of his time was spent away at boarding school. “There was never a cozy relationship between Charles and the queen,” he explained. “That’s because the [royal] family is not set up to be cozy.”

That childrearing method carried over to Prince William and Prince Harry’s young lives, even though they were warmly embraced by their mom, Princess Diana. Once she passed, the boys didn’t have that same emotional closeness with their dad. It took decades for Charles’ tense relationship to even shift with his own mother. In the years before her death, Andersen shared that “the queen and Charles grew closer as she grew white [and] old, and as he grew” into his emerging role at the palace.

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The King: The Life of King Charles III

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While William and Charles have reportedly bonded after Harry’s departure from his senior royal role, the King and his youngest son haven’t found a way to repair their relationship yet. If Charles took a look at his own history, he would realize that it took some time for him to grow close to the Queen — perhaps that will one day ring true with Harry, too.

Before you go, click here to see photos of Queen Elizabeth II’s family over the years.

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