We know Prince William to be a level-headed man who had a close link to his mother, Princess Diana. However, as a teenager, William had every right to rebel against his father, the Now King.
William knew what was going on inside his parents’ marriage. He was known to push tissues after the bathroom door for Diana.
At the time, teenage William only knew Diana’s side of the story. His rebelling against his father had more to do with backing his mother up. After her death, he did some soul-searching, wanting to know more about the woman who raised him.
William went to people who knew his mother personally. After learning that Diana was not the saint people believed her to be, the future king realised that she was flawed and so was his father. Yes, they both had affairs, but they were unsuited.
When he started his relationship with his now-wife, Catherine Middleton, William wanted to ensure they were well-suited and that she could handle the media scrutiny. They broke up briefly, which only made their relationship stronger. Since then, it has been clear sailing. Every marriage has rocky patches, but they’re a team and always have been.
Charles and Diana, however, were barely compatible. They both had different needs and wants. He needed heirs, which he ended up getting in William and Harry. She wanted the love and affection she craved but never got it.
Charles And Diana Were Different People
In Charles’ eyes, his first wife was a child compared to women within his age bracket Diana had only just turned 20 when they married in 1981. William was born not long after this in June 1982.
It’s no secret that Charles wanted to marry Camilla. However, she loved, at the time Andrew Parker Bowles. She chose to marry him first and had children with him. We won’t entertain the love-child angle that has been floating around for several years.
Diana was raised in turmoil. Her mother left and her father then married a woman who was not kind to her or her siblings when they were young. There is a suggestion that the Spencer children referred to their stepmother as ‘Acid Raine’.
According to the ABC, Diana allegedly pushed Raine, down the stairs. They later made up and became close before the former Princess of Wales died.
There was also a story in The Telegraph about how after her husband, John Spencer, Earl Spencer, died in 1992, Raine was supposed to leave Althorp with suitcases with the Spencer emblem, packed by the maid. Charles, the new Earl, did everything in his power to rid the family of her pretence. It was Diana, who ordered her stepmother’s stuff be thrown into garbage bags.
King Charles, meanwhile, was only a toddler when his mother, Princess Elizabeth, became Queen of England. She wanted to be as hands-on as she could, but given her new position, she was unable to be as present.
Charles’ relationship with his sons has differed over the years due to what happened with their mother. Teenage William rebelled and Harry just partied, took drugs and drank his way through life.
William Rebelled Because He Didn’t Look At The Larger Picture
Diana once said that she didn’t worry that much about teenage William because he had his head on straight. Though she stated her main concern was Harry.
William’s rebellion was likely due to him only having one side of the story. His mother’s. We know that he craved a somewhat normal family life, which is why he was so drawn to the Middletons.
According to a likely fictitious storyline on The Crown, Harry allegedly didn’t understand why William was “obsessed” with his-laws. Now, this is coming from Canadian Yahoo! Life, which seems to find a parallel between the show and something that was written by author Tina Brown.
As per Brown and the Mirror, it is thought that Harry felt “displaced” upon William finding normalcy with the Middletons after he married Catherine.
William craved a somewhat normal life and he found that with the Middletons. It was also Catherine who allegedly helped heal the divide between Charles and William. That is why we got this fabulous picture from a few years back, which was taken by The Princess of Wales.
Respectful Relationship Between William And Camilla
William seems to have a reasonable relationship with Camilla. We don’t know how close they are, but it doesn’t matter. She respects him as her husband’s son while he respects her as his father’s wife.
Camilla is also seen to be protective of William’s children, as seen at The Queen’s funeral. She, Catherine and Sophie, the then-Countess of Wessex, formed a ring of steel around Prince George and Princess Charlotte when they were in the presence of their estranged Aunt Meghan.
Not to mention, Camilla has stated that her grandchildren love Charles as he would read to them and do the voices.
There is also a cute picture from William and Catherine’s 2011 wedding where the family stands on the Buckingham Palace balcony and Charles holds one of Camilla’s granddaughters.
William Rebelling Taught Charles A Lesson
Charles would’ve seen a shift in William when his then-teenage son’s rebellion started. We know that Charles and Diana ended up on friendly terms after their divorce as they co-parented two sons under 18.
The King (then the Prince of Wales) would have realised that his and Diana’s issues affected the boys. Why? Because William knew more about it than perhaps he should’ve. Also, he was a bright kid, as we’ve seen with his education and continued successes.
William took his time with Catherine. He got to know her and the Middletons. Charles would’ve also noticed how much of an impact Kate had on his son due to how grounded she and her family were. Her upbringing was normal whereas her husband’s childhood was not with feuding parents.
Charles and Catherine have become quite close too. After all, she did agree to name two of her three children after him. Princess Charlotte’s name is the feminine version of Charles while the King’s name was used as a middle name for Prince Louis. The King has referred to The Princess of Wales as “my beloved daughter-in-law”, to show how close they are. It is clear from their interactions that they are genuinely close.
If you look at it, Catherine is The King’s version of Sophie, who was very close to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Sophie was deeply adored by The Queen and Prince Philip and was seen as being a second daughter to them. Also, as per Tatler, she referred to Her Majesty as ‘Mama.’
Catherine brings out the best in William and Charles sees that and it’s likely that he credits her with bringing them back to a good father-son relationship, which has only helped further with the births of George, Charlotte and Louis.
