It has been a rollercoaster few weeks for the Prince of Wales who just last week, returned to his royal duties following his wife, Princess Kate's abdominal surgery and his father, King Charles' cancer diagnosis.
Following his wife's discharge from the London Clinic, Prince William has been holding down the fort at home with his three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, taking on a lot of the domestic and parenting duties Kate would have looked after.
© Max Mumby/IndigoIn the latest episode of A Right Royal Podcast, which centres on King Charles’ upbringing and that of his sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, host Emmy Griffiths and HELLO!’s royal editor Emily Nash talk to Majesty magazine’s Editor-in-Chief and royal author Ingrid Seward about her new book, My Mother and I, which delves into the relationship between the late Queen Elizabeth and her son as well as how it has affected the way he has parented through the years.
During the episode, which you can listen to below, Ingrid revealed that William was given Charles' blessing to step back from his public duties to be with his family when they most needed him.
"Charles always put duty first because that's what his mother did," she told HELLO!. "And that's what Diana decided she wouldn't do. I think Charles has encouraged William to spend more time with the family and also said to William, 'I don't want you to take on any royal duties until you absolutely have to' because you remember we criticised William the work-shy?
"And that was his father very much saying, 'You don't have to do this, be with your young family. Enjoy it while you can. You've got years and years and years of royal duties to do.'
© GettyAsked if Charles' support for his son to choose family first was influenced by his own childhood, Ingrid added: "This is a big influence from his childhood, he doesn't want the same thing to happen to his son. He wants William to be able to enjoy his wife and family as much as he's able to do so within the restrictions of what he's doing."
In the episode, Ingrid also discussed King Charles' criticism of his mother's parenting skills.
The pair had a very close bond in the later years of his life, but the Queen and Prince Philip were described as "emotionally distant" as parents, in the King's autobiography, which was written by by journalist Jonathan Dimbleby.
Listen now to hear how the Queen reacted to those comments, and others made by the King.
