Prince William has, reportedly, forgiven his father, Prince Charles, for his mistakes and for leaving his childhood with plenty of sore feelings. The Duke of Cambridge, who is now a father himself, apparently now sees the positive influences of the Prince of Wales in his life.
According to royal correspondent Camilla Tominey, there's so much warmth between Prince William and Prince Charles today, which indicates that the "ghost of William's childhood" is now gone. It's clearly evident in the photo of the father and son, which was recently posted on their social media profiles for Father's Day and for Prince William's 38th birthday on June 21
Prince William was only about 10 years old when his parents' marriage broke down. He was about 15 or 16 when he lost his mother, Princess Diana, in a horrific car crash in Paris, France.
According to Tominey, Prince William used to never acknowledge that his father helped in raising him and his brother Prince Harry after Princess Diana died. Royal aides also used to beg Prince William to give his father a tribute in interviews but he would refuse.
Penny Junor, another royal expert, said that Prince William was quite aware of the misery of his mother in her marriage to Prince Charles. Prince William knew of his father's affair with Camilla, who was seen as the woman who made his mother unhappy but his father really happy, and this apparently conflicted Prince William a lot.
On the other hand, Prince Harry, who is three years younger than Prince William, is more vocal about acknowledging his father's presence in his life. Speaking in the documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy, Prince Harry said that Prince Charles "tried to do his best" to make sure that he and his brother were looked after.
But three years ago, Tominey said that something changed in the relationship with Prince William and Prince Charles. The heir to throne, especially, became a doting grandfather to Prince William's kids with Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. Prince Charles loved talking about his grandchildren in public and has said that nothing thrills him more than to spend his prime years in the company of his grandkids -- Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 5 and Prince Louis, 2.
Prince William also became more appreciative of Prince Charles after Prince Harry stepped back from his royal role. The Prince of Wales started working closely with his first-born son and involved him in the decision-making to strengthen the monarchy after the Megxit crisis.
