At almost 70 years of age, Prince Charles has done and seen a lot.
The world watched with eagle eyes as the Prince grew up to become an environmental advocate, charity worker and husband – twice – all between attending more royal engagements than one could count.
And yet, the future King of England insists that he still has plenty more to do.
At almost 70 years of age, Prince Charles is still proving he’s a force to be reckoned with.
In a new candid feature with Vanity Fair, journalist James Reginato was given insight into Charles’ life as a royal, speaking to a number of close friends and colleagues about the Prince and his relationships with those nearest and dearest to him.
Charles is turning the big 7-0 this month with plenty of achievements under his belt, he told the magazine: “In my case there are so many things that need to be done.”
The Prince’s life has been detailed in a revealing feature for Vanity Fair. (Image: Vanity Fair)
In the tell-all feature, we hear all about the Prince’s relationship with Camilla and other prominent members of the British royal family and what that will mean when he becomes King, as well as his long-term passion for speaking out against climate change.
Camilla’s positive influence
Since Camilla and Charles married in 2005, it’s clear the Prince has been a lot happier.
“She’s made a massive difference in him,” a longtime royal correspondent told Vanity Fair.
The pair are often laughing and chatting, and have a “great affection and humour between them,” he explained.
In a sweet anecdote, royal photographer Alexi Lubomirski told of the moment he greeted Charles and Camilla at Clarence House ahead of a shoot: “As soon as they looked at each other, there was a sparkle in their eyes – that’s when the magic happened.”
“You feel like they are a young couple in love.”
And despite a slightly bumpy start for the two, who had both been married previously, Charles and Camilla have made it work.
Mark Bolland, a former deputy private secretary to Charles said the pair were “In a very good place right now”.
Charles and Camilla are open and candid in front of royal correspondents, a feat that has earned them respect over the years.
In terms of Camilla’s royal title when Charles eventually becomes King, recent reports have suggested she will become ‘Queen Consort’, which is a customary title for the wife of a reigning King.
Camilla’s nephew, Ben Elliot, said Camilla will support Charles as King through thick and thin: “She knows that he is the boss, the star. She does everything she can possibly do to support him. At the same time, he’s very proud of her. She’s very sharp and perceptive.”
WATCH: Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding highlights. Post continues…
Charles and Camilla’s caring nature
According to Vanity Fair, royal watchers “esteem” Charles and Camilla because of their kindness and attention to detail.
Reginato was told by a royal correspondent that Camilla takes care to remember names and “fosters a sense that we’re all in this together.”
“She always gives you a little gleam in her eye and will find a moment to look at our cameras.”
Meanwhile, the younger generation of royals are “control freaks” according to the Vanity Fair feature, with William and Kate going out of their way to not look at the “fixed point” where photographers group together, meanwhile Charles is “far more relaxed”.
Charles the do-er
The Prince has been the brains behind some big organisations that have helped a lot of people. One such charity is The Prince’s Trust which has helped over 870,000 disadvantaged people to find jobs, get an education or receive job training.
Dame Julia Cleverdon, who was a former CEO of one of Charles’s initiatives, said he is “a great connector – the ultimate networker”.
“He creatively swipes ideas from all over the world. Then he’ll say, for example, ‘Why hasn’t this one been implemented in Dorset?'”
His pro-activity in these areas is certainly something that will serve him well as King of England.
Prince Charles is passionate about helping the disadvantaged.
According to Vanity Fair Charles is at his desk at 8.30am every morning, spending a couple of hours completing correspondence before joining several meetings with various people spread throughout the day.
He breaks for tea at 5pm, and has a walk. After dinner, he then returns to his office to write letters or read.
And while previously the Prince was known for sending opinions and advice on things he has taken issue with, he has been less expressive in recent years.
Charles wrote to Reginato, “I don’t really see any value in saying, ‘I told you so…”
He continued: “In putting my head above the parapet on all these issues, and trying to remind people of their long-term, timeless relevance to our human experience – never mind trying to do something about them – I found myself in conflict with the conventional outlook which, as I discovered, is not exactly the most pleasant situation to find yourself.”
His relationship with Meghan Markle
It’s no secret the Charles and daughter-in-law Meghan get along well. On her recent royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand with Prince Harry, the Duchess was spotted several times wearing a stunning bracelet which was given to her by Prince Charles before her wedding to Prince Harry in May.
Charles also had a prominent role in the wedding itself, walking Meghan down the aisle and escorting her mother, Doria Ragland, during the ceremony.
A close family friend told Vanity Fair that the Prince and Duchess get along “aces”.
“They clearly really like each other. There is real warmth and support. Camilla has been very helpful to Meghan.”
WATCH: Prince Charles walks Meghan Markle down the aisle. Story continues after video…
Care for the environment
Charles has also been known for his conservation efforts. Earlier this year, the Prince made headlines in Greece when he denied a plastic straw offered to him with his freddo cappuccino while visiting the European country.
In correspondence with Reginato, Charles wrote that one of his duties was to, “Find solutions to the vast challenges we face over accelerating climate change”.
But it hasn’t been easy for the royal, who said the process of alerting people to the scale of the challenge “seems to take forever”.
But the Prince urged: “If we don’t engage with these issues, and many other related and critical problems that they inevitably compound, we will all be the victims. Nothing escapes.”
