Self pitying, angry hoarder - King Charles

[DessertsForAll]

An article in The Times has a lot of revelations about King Charles, including that he is prone to melancholy and self-pity, indecisive and stubborn, with an explosive temper - he would kick furniture in rage. He had no interest in hearing criticism, and sought out people who agreed with him. One dinner companion realised that he became actively annoyed if challenged. Charles’s homes are cluttered, with one friend calling him an outright hoarder. And unlike the Queen spends lots of money on himself.

Many agree that what Camilla, excels at is managing him: cheering him up when he’s glum, indulging him when he needs it, geeing him up when he doesn’t and knowing how and when to persuade him of a particular course of action when his staff have tried and failed. “Leave it with me,” she says to courtiers, with one press secretary describing her as “the final court of appeal”.

“If the Queen had taken half as much trouble about the rearing of her children as she did about the breeding of her horses,” a private secretary remarked drily to Robert Lacey, “the royal family wouldn’t be in such an emotional mess.”"

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/king-charles-coronation-camilla-william-harry-uk-hilary-rose-2r0k2g53t

It is an interesting article.

I do find it amusing how people still buy into how frugal the Queen was - her favourite hobby was horse racing!!

I am seeing quite a bit of anti Charles stuff on social media at the moment. That article also implies or rather I inferred from it that negative stories were leaked about other RF members, ie Harry and William in the rehabilitation of Camilla. This is really me speculating I guess.

I feel a little sorry for Camilla but not much. I also wonder if he is/was the great love of her life.

I think any analysis of any family and the individual personalities within it over generations would reveal complex people struggling with life and relationships.

Because that's the human experience.

What's different about the royal family is their particular circumstances are unique and they are available for collective public scrutiny.

Charles as an individual is flawed and has strengths like anyone else.
I am interested because I'm interested in people (aka nosey.)

But I'm not surprised at: old man is quite difficult news!

Nor do I expect monarchs to be better individuals than anyone else. How could they be they are just people.

What I do expect them to be is dutiful to the role & uncomplaining about this duty in public.

Or to reject the role and let someone who understands what is required and who will commit to this take it on.

Charles seems as if he will take on the duty asked of him but the idea this should indicate or be expected that he's just a totally one dimensional good person is weird.

QE II was hugely respected at her death because of her incredible commitment to duty not because of her amazing personality.

If she hadn't been the queen she'd have been a nice enough fairly uninteresting person.

But her reign was a performance of extraordinary duty which is why she was, at the end, so admired.

Quiet duty is actually all people really want from the royals.

Yes we love the daily gossip, but over time that fades and we're left with a sense of are they just getting on with the job required or not?

That's why Ann is admired and why Edward and Sophie have come to be admired.

Charles doesn't have the time to do an extraordinary performance of duty, but if as an old man he commits to doing what is expected for as long as he can that's all I really require from a monarch.

(Although I also enjoy the clothes, gossip about houses, and what furniture they kick.)

I felt very sorry for Charles reading that article. The bullying at school & loneliness he must have felt. I think I read somewhere that Edward was also bullied? My youngest was terribly bullied & moved schools so for me that stuck at the most.

That was what struck me in the article. It must have been awful and quite damaging emotionally to be stuck in an environment where you are bullied, you are there 24/7 and there is no escape (except a few weeks in the year for school holidays. I would hope that sort of thing is firmly in the past. Some children will thrive in a boarding school environment and but there are plenty for which it can be hugely damaging and it certainly sounds like PC was not boarding school material. A square peg being forced into a round hole.

I feel a bit sorry for Charles. Being rich and privileged is irrelevant when you're stuck 24/7 in a boarding school with your bullies. That stuff stays with you your whole life.

I’ve read the same stories over the years as well. But why are all of these sources apparently queuing up to talk to the Times right now?

Not sure they're "talking" to the Times necessarily - most of it's taken from books and accounts which have appeared over the years, brought together to make a pretty good article

I agree about the timing though; as said last night, I thought he'd get longer before this sort of stuff started to appear again

None of this is news, it's been in the public domain for longer than I've been alive! I've actually always thought Harry is very much like his father, think it even more so since his interviews etc. I think they're very similar.

I do find it amusing how people still buy into how frugal the Queen was - her favourite hobby was horse racing!!

Ahhh yes... the good old tupperware of cornflakes on the table. The RF played a blinder with that one.

You have to be seriously wealthy to indulge in horse racing with your own horses.

That’s an argument I agree with.

Talking of serious wealth... Charles has just done something that pleases me greatly.

He has told Andrew he's not going to sign off the £32,000 p.a. for a live in yoga teacher. Queen had been signing it off for years apparently. Charles has blocked it.
Good. I am enjoying the thought that PA doesn't have his Mummy covering for him and indulging him anymore.

But FFS £32,000 a year for this out the public purse over years (and yes it came from the Sovereign Grant) I dread to think how much of this extravagence there is that we don't know about.

More of this please Charles.

He had a live in yoga teacher????

Dear God it seems hard to believe that could be true??!!

What other examples of extreme/unusual extravagance by the royals do we know of? Beyond the obvious houses, horses, tiara stuff?

You have to be seriously wealthy to indulge in horse racing with your own horses. My dad did this and he wasn't 'seriously wealthy'.

@Roussette , I think Charles may well give you more, personally I think he's just starting with the clean up and strimlining of the monarchy.
We may hear more of this sort of thing and after the coronation, it will be full steam ahead !
Poor Andrew!!! 🤣

Streamlining!!

He had a string of racehorses competing in all the Classics and looked after at a well known thoroughbred stud ?

We have dabbled. The cost is eyewatering.

I might become quite the Royalist jeffgoldblum (steady on... I was joking lol)

Seriously though... I will look more favourably on him if he continues with this sort of thing.
I find it hugely distasteful that £32,000 has been spent per year on a yoga instructor for a disgraced member of the RF. It does make me think... what do we not know about... so much. Hey ho

Steady on @Roussette ! A monarchist! 🤣 , I think we need to remember that from a young age it's been drummed into Charles the traditional way to behave and how it should be done , he was a dutiful son first and foremost and wouldn't want to disrespect his mother's vision for the monarchy, now a suitable time has past , I really believe he wants a more sustainable modern monarchy ( as modern as it can be!) I look forward to see what he does, particularly if that means cutting off the money grubbing extras.

He had a string of racehorses competing in all the Classics and looked after at a well known thoroughbred stud?

Well that's a new one on me, *Roussette; I knew about the polo of course, but not that he was into racing
It was said the Queen bought him a brood mare when he married Camilla and many thought it a bit of a joke at the time - but maybe not?

And on the yoga studio thing, if it's true at all I have a tenner which says it was actually for Fergie ...

Just that incident with the pen indicated he’s a big baby. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s as the article describes. I bet William’s very similar.

If Chuck cuts extravagant spending on members of the RF, who gets the accumulating surplus - Chuck and the remaining inner circle, or will he return it to the Treasury?

We need to know!!

No no! I was replying to derxa who was talking about her Dad. Not saying PA or Charles had a string of racehorses yikes!

Are you dissing my dad?😂 I still have his original mare who lives as a field ornament. She was put in foal by one of Sheik Mohammed's horses.
Of course the real money in racing is not here but in the Middle East. Anyway I answered your original point truthfully.

I wouldn't dare diss your Dad derxa!

Without going into detail, just can't, it's been a big part of our lives in the past, I watch horses on the gallops regularly.

Charles’ ancestor, Queen Victoria was notorious for her bad moods, rowing with Albert and storming about the palace when in one of her famous temper tantrums. The late Queen’s father was also prone, and once destroyed a rose bush in a fit of rage. Margaret was rude and demanding and Andrew yelled at everyone he considered beneath him. I suspect genetics probably play a part here.