Queen Elizabeth Had This Terrible Fear About Prince Charles When He Was Growing Up

Prince Charles was born in 1948 as the oldest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. He automatically became recognized as a future king the moment he entered the world, which means that Prince Charles was groomed for being a monarch from a young age.

Like any mother, Queen Elizabeth also had a lot of worries about her son’s development. In particular, there was one prominent fear that she had about his ability to be a good monarch. Read on below to find out why Queen Elizabeth had such concerns and how that affected Prince Charles’ life growing up. 

Queen Elizabeth feared that Prince Charles was a ‘slow developer’

When Prince Charles was young, Queen Elizabeth had some doubts about whether he was truly fit to become king or not. He was often ill with sinus infections and would burst into tears frequently.

For this reason, Queen Elizabeth worried that her first-born child was a “slow developer.” Meanwhile, the New Yorker reported that Prince Philip thought that Prince Charles was “weedy, effete, and spoiled.”

Prince Charles also raised a lot of eyebrows around him in other ways. He was not any good at playing sports, he was scared of riding horses, and he was really into art — things that the rest of his family did not understand.

Prince Charles did not have a good relationship with his parents

Instead of feeling supported by his parents, according to the New Yorker, Prince Charles often felt “squashed and guilty” for being himself. Additionally, he often felt like his parents were not emotionally there for him.

Queen Elizabeth became a monarch when Prince Charles was just a few years old. As a result, she had many duties to attend to and frequently left him in the care of various nannies and family members. Friends of Prince Charles also recalled that Queen Elizabeth was rather “detached” from her son.

Prince Charles did not get along that well with his father either. Prince Philip has often been described as a cold and stoic man, which made it hard for him to bond with Prince Charles, who is more of a sensitive and romantic type.

As Prince Charles was growing up, the two father and son would communicate via letters instead of actually having heart-to-heart conversations with each other.

Prince Charles endured a lot of bullying at boarding school

When Prince Charles was a teenager, he was made to attend one of Prince Philip’s alma maters, Gordonstoun School. The school was an all-male institution at the time and known for its tough, spartan image that turned young boys into macho men.

Prince Charles hated his time at Gordonstoun, where he was often a prime target for bullying. He once wrote in a letter home: “The people in my dormitory are foul. Goodness, they are horrid. I don’t know how anybody could be so foul.”

In another letter, Prince Charles said: “I hardly get any sleep in the House because I snore and I get hit on the head all the time. It’s absolute hell.”

Is Prince Charles ready to be king?

Prince Charles had a tough childhood full of doubts about his ability to become a monarch. However, over the years, he has proven that he can take on the responsibilities that are expected of him.

These days, it seems that Queen Elizabeth trusts her son a lot more than she did back then. Queen Elizabeth is currently 93 years old and reportedly looking to take a step back from royal duties. She has been handing over a lot of work to Prince Charles.

Prince Charles has not talked much about being a monarch, but there are reports that he already has many things planned for when that happens.