King Charles III made a personal appeal to Prince William, urging his eldest son not to repeat what he now views as his greatest mistake-putting royal duty ahead of family. According to a new Channel 5 documentary William and Catherine: Putting Family First, the monarch reportedly told William, "Please don't make the mistake that I made," and encouraged him to "enjoy your family life."
The remarks, shared by Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine, suggest a significant departure from past royal convention and reflect the evolving priorities of the monarchy as Charles, 76, continues to undergo cancer treatment. "Charles was very insistent about this because he said: 'I was so dedicated to duty, I couldn't make way for family life in the way that I should've done,' and that's what William did," Seward stated.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have adopted a visible family-first approach. In recent months, they opted out of high-profile royal events such as the BAFTA awards and the Royal Family's Easter service to spend time with their three children-Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Princess Kate, who is in remission from cancer after going public with her diagnosis in March last year, has since made limited appearances during her ongoing recovery.
William stepped back from engagements earlier this year to care for his wife and children, a move reportedly supported and encouraged by the King. Grant Harrold, who served as Charles's butler from 2004 to 2011, described the King's recent evolution as unprecedented. "I think for the first time ever you've got a King, who I think deep down if his boys need him, he would probably put them before the crown," Harrold said. "That's what I believe, and that's the first time that would have ever happened in the history of the monarchy."
Charles's own childhood was shaped by the royal demands placed on Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who delegated much of the parenting to nannies. Prince William and Prince Harry experienced similar childhoods, particularly after the death of their mother, Princess Diana. In his memoir Spare, Harry recalled how their father kept a distance. "He'd been an older dad, and I'd always felt that this created problems, placed barriers between us," Harry wrote.
Harry also noted that Charles "stopped engaging" in physical play "long before we were ready." The Duke of Sussex has continued to speak publicly about strained relations with his father. In a recent interview with the BBC, Harry stated that Charles "won't speak" to him due to ongoing security disputes, though he emphasized that he still hopes for reconciliation.
