Kate ‘steals the limelight’ with the King’s ‘blessing’ because he ‘knows that’s how the monarchy will survive’, says Charles’ biographer ROBERT JOBSON – after a string of upstaging moments
- Charles was ‘second fiddle’ to the late Queen for 70 years says Robert Jobson
- READ MORE: Is Charles being forced to reign in Kate’s shadow?
Until now King Charles has been used to playing second fiddle.
For 70 years he was understudy to his late mother The Queen.
He once joked with a journalist, a deputy editor at a newspaper that he was visiting who introduced himself as ‘the No.2’ – ‘Yes, there are a lot of us.’
He has always taken it with good grace too. When his first wife the late Diana burst on the scene in the 1980s he joked he needed two wives and he could walk down the street directing them to the crowds.
And then his sons, William and Harry became the star attractions and lately their glamorous wives.
Palace insiders feared Kate might have overshadowed King Charles’ first Chelsea Flower Show as monarch earlier this week
Queen Camilla has wisely always stayed more in the shadows – stressing her ‘supporting role.’
Now he is King for the first time in decades he is very much the star attraction again – for now at least.
Wherever he goes the crowds are 8 to 10 people deep. Perhaps it is due to the novelty of wanting to see the new monarch up close and personal.
But Charles is under no illusions that it is the younger royals that have the star quality and are crucial for the future of our monarchy.
We have seen a sign of that at the Chelsea Flower Show, where the Princess of Wales dazzled and, perhaps understandably, drew more attention than his own visit.
Catherine and William have the wow factor – as a double act at the Earthshot Prize launches they have pulling power. They make headlines for the right reasons.
She has made the role as the new princess her own. Her work with Early Learning for young children has been groundbreaking.
She looks great, she is smart and is an inspiration to many women at home and abroad. But she never overplays her hand.
The Princess of Wales stole the show at the Coronation with a series of elegant appearances
King Charles, pictured here in Northern Ireland with Queen Camilla on Wednesday, is a well-known lover of gardening and nature
Concern that Kate could overshadow the King mirrors similar claims during his first marriage to Princess Diana (pictured on their last official trip together)
William, as he showed at the Coronation and the Windsor Consort, has stepped up for his father.
He spoke eloquently about his ‘Pa’ and would have made any father proud.
Speculation that Charles is concerned that his son and daughter-in-law are stealing his thunder is wide off the mark.
READ MORE HERE: Adorable moment little girl quizzes Kate at Chelsea Flower Show – as Princess tells her the ‘best part’ about her job
Whatever he might have felt in the past, The King knows his role is different now. His position as Head of State and ‘Father of the nation’ must be a unifying one.
His days of going out of a limb, speaking on potentially divisive issues are in the past. His legacy on the environment and sustainability is secure.
The Palace, however, is conscious that with less so-called ‘working royals’ the grid system of engagements must complement each other.
There must also be a clear strategy towards the Commonwealth too, of which the King was created head of by consensus.
The Harry/Meghan distraction will over time become less important as the King establishes his new reign – and we move from the transitional period.
There is no doubt that Charles’s position as the paterfamilias is established.
After William and his family, The Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have declared their unreserved support to the Crown.
Over time any uncertainty will fade.
But make no mistake, whilst it is Charles’s head that wears the Crown, it is William, Catherine and their children that will steal the limelight. They are bound to. And it is right.
This time, it will be with Charles’s blessing – for he knows for monarchy to survive it must be relevant to the younger generation.
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