Prince Charles had shared that he had a much closer relationship to his grandmother than his own mother, Queen Elizabeth. That was why he had felt so bereft when the Queen Mother died. At her funeral, he had become emotional when he spoke about his grandmother who he said was the world to him.
In his tribute to his grandmother, he spoke of how he had feared for the day she would finally leave him, despite having desperately believed the day would not come. He said she had been so "gloriously unstoppable" when she had been living that he "never thought" the moment would arrive when she would finally pass on. In his moving speech, he spoke of the late royal as having "meant everything" to him.
Prince Charles was said to have shared a bond with his grandmother. He was her eldest grandchild, and they spent a lot of time together, especially during those days when Queen Elizabeth II had been fettered with concerns about the monarchy to which she had ascended.
The Queen Mother had been so in tune with her grandson that when Prince Charles was set to be sent to Gordonstoun School, which was in Moray, Scotland, she had taken it upon herself to bring the attention of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, toward changing those plans. Instead, she had suggested that the prince be schooled at Eton.
She had even written to her daughter in May of 1961 and tried to dissuade the reigning Queen from sending Charles to Gordonstoun. She had made the suggestion by writing about how she "supposed" her grandson was to take on the examinations at Eton and expressed her hope Charles would make the cut. It was her estimation that the latterly mentioned school would be more suitable for the prince.
She pointed out that, having the kind of "temperament" and the "character" that the young Prince Charles had, the Berkshire establishment would be much more fitting. The doting grandmother had even pointed out that Gordonstoun was much too far that Charles "might as well" be studying abroad.
This plea, however, had fallen on deaf ears, it would seem, since Prince Charles did go to Gordonstoun, presumably forced into it by his own father, Prince Philip, who had attended the institution. Reportedly, the young prince had not relished his experience at the said establishment.
Prince Charles grew up with his grandmother and his and his sister Princess Anne's nannies looking after them. Since his mother the young Queen Elizabeth was mostly away, he had not developed that affection or closeness with her that he shared with his grandmother. It was evident in a video taken way back in 1951 that the prince and his mother did not share a close bond.
After having been away for half a year, the Queen came home and merely shook his young son's hand in greeting. At the time, this short video was said to have caused quite a reaction from the nation's viewers.
In contrast, the Queen mother had spent considerable time with her grandson, such that Prince Charles called her mischievous "of spirit"; the one who had "laughed until we cried" was the Prince's remembrance of his "darling magical grandmother."
