To be sad at how Charles The King looks compared to how Charles the Prince looked?

[PyongyangKipperbang]

Before anyone feels the need to point it out, yes I know he has just lost his parents in quick succession and got dropped into a role of high stress and responsibility. I get that it will affect him.

But I saddens me so much that he looks so much more careworn in such a small space of time. It struck me today when I saw the photos of him, he seems so much more stern, almost angry. I cant really describe it but in years past there was a kindness or empathy or something in his face at such events and that seems to have gone. He looks so so much older than he did just 6 months ago. I feel for him and his family and I say this as a republican, but also as a human being.

I find it sad that people reckon they’re full of empathy for kids but as soon as you turn 18 you’re not worthy of sympathy any more. It’s really weird, almost like 17 years and 364 days = innocent child, the next day it’s “Oh well that’s your problem not mine, at least it isn’t even more shit for you”

You’re so right. My dad was 99, my mum was 97. Of course it was expected, I was still devastated.

You still grieve for and miss your parents, but you do know they did not die earlier than a normal life span.

My dad died at 52 and TBH I don’t think it was worse than if he lived to an old age. I got a considerable more amount of sympathy than my friend who dad died the day after aged 80. I remember us saying at the time how weird that felt

Ok you can if you want. You asked if I did and I answered directly.

Honestly you just sound as if you looking for issues and it’s boring now. Charles is just a normal person, albeit a member of the royal family in the media. I feel as much for him as any celeb.

If you feel it makes you better to feel sorry for the royals knock yourself out. I doubt they return the favour.

Who wants sympathy? Honestly the English are terrible with grief and some general sympathy is pretty meaningless. You are still back at work after 2 weeks at most and expected to get on with things as normal. It is pretty shit.

Once again, I don’t feel sorry for people so that they ‘return the favour’ and I don’t subscribe to that miserly way of life. When someone’s mum dies I feel sad for them and don’t point out all the ways it could hav be even more shit for them

That’s really not up to you to decide if ‘general sympathy’ is meaningless. After losing dad I was glad of people’s sympathy, it was such a sad time and it did feel good knowing people were thinking of me.

Why care this much that others don’t feel sorry for a royal or a celeb they haven’t met.

It’s not a public duty or a superior claim. As much as some see it that way.

Just let people feel as they do, it’s not a big deal at all.

Absolutely. My mum died early. I found myself welling up on my kids’ first days of school, first athletics carnival, first part in a school play, etc, because she wasn’t there. Dad died an old man. Of course I was sad, but I have pictures of him at every birthday, Christmas, etc until my kids were well old enough to remember him. Losing a parent who is very old is different to losing them prematurely.