There is threads discussing Diana's personality etc and threads discussing Camilla and her life. But what about a thread that discusses the man Charles?
Who is he? To me he has always seemed needy, immature and very selfish.
I speak ofcouse only as a foreigner, so I am very interested to hear any views on the subject.
Interesting topic, Olebabs. I do think Prince Charles may be emotionally needy. I don't know about immature. I take issue with the idea that he is very selfish.
Certainly, he has been an unselfish father. There may be an exception or two, but I think he put his sons' needs first and refrained from publicly criticized his sons' mother.
He has certainly devoted his adult life to his country. Prince Charles was born as heir to the throne and, from what I have read, most members of the royal family are perfectly happy to let him succeed the throne. He's had no choice in a career. If he had been the second or third son, I think he would have chosen to stay in the military, like William, Harry and Andrew rather than become a full time royal after his military service.
If he hadn't been in the royal family, I tend to think he would have been a businessman, but his goal would not have been just to make money, I think he would have wanted to help others, probably by setting up a charity, like Warren Buffet or Bill Gates.
I think the perception that he is selfish stems from his refusal to give up Camilla even though the public didn't like her. From what I read, he threatened to give up his claim to the throne, which threatened the existence of the monarchy.
Obviously, I am very interested in the royal family, but I think it is extremely selfish for any outsider--especially people who don't know him--to demand that he give up the woman he loves.
The duties of the monarch are mainly ceremonial. When you think about it, what is in it for him? When he is King, he will have to tone down his political statements, which would be a major sacrifice for him because he is obviously very passionate about his causes. Basically, he will meet with the prime minister once a week and take a higher profile role.
I understand that his position has made him comfortable financially. I am not sure how his income would change if he stepped aside, but I doubt he would be destitute. His siblings seem to get along.
Charles has been hounded his whole life, all of his relationships--not just with Diana and Camilla--have been the subject of gossip and speculation. The breakdown of his marriage made front page news throughout the world. People who have never met him or Diana declared him to be the "villain." Diana apparently even talked to the press about their sex life!
Even worse, his most private phone conversations were taped and released to the public. At least Anne's letters were returned to her and the media edited the tapes between Diana and her lover. It must have taken a great deal of courage for him to go out in public after that incident, but he did.
Few, if any of us, can withstand that kind of scrutiny, but through it all he has continued raising money for charity, traveling across the world promoting Britain, and raising two sons.
I don't think selfish is an accurate description