Jayson’s Reviews > Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life > Status Update

Sounds like a pleasant man. 😬

Haytham wrote: "Sounds like a pleasant man. 😬"

Indeed, he seemed like quite a piece of work in his youth, and the latter events of his personal life don't exactly paint a more complimentary picture. Though, horrible as it may seem, I tend to like to give people the benefit of the doubt in these matters. We all say stupid and reckless things when we're younger, and I'm sure he didn't expect that his friends would be so keen to repeat his sayings to biographers and reporters and such.

Ugh! I will never forgive this man for what he did to Lady Diana >:|

aleesha wrote: "Ugh! I will never forgive this man for what he did to Lady Diana >:|"

You're definitely not alone. For all the good he's done since, many people never will. There are just some offenses you can't pay recompense for.

Trisha dodged a bullet.

Ayesha wrote: "Trisha dodged a bullet."

Yes, I would definitely agree with that. Though, this was pre-Camilla, so knows whether that whole debacle would have even gotten off the ground if Charles had been tied down.

Would they have let him marry an American at that time? I know things are a little different now...

Amy wrote: "Would they have let him marry an American at that time? I know things are a little different now..."

Yes, they would have. So long as she was a Protestant and a virgin. The objection against Wallis Simpson in the 30s wasn't that she was an American, but that she was twice divorced.

Jayson wrote: "Yes, they would have. So long as she was a Protestant and a virgin. The objection against Wallis Simpson in the 30s wasn't that she was an American, but that she was twice divorced."

That was the palace's official objection but the people certainly objected to the fact that she was American. I honestly suspect if Charles had wanted to marry an American even if she was a Protestant and well-liked they (the Queen basically) would've said no. Same with William. Most say it's likely Harry was allowed to marry Meghan (an American woman) because it made little difference to the crown as he'll never become King nor will any of his children ever be in charge, so it was kind of like let him do what he wants as long as it doesn't hurt the family image. Lol that turned out well for them but the sentiment still stands. I imagine that was also the reason why Princesses Beatrice was allowed to marry a foreigner.

Kadi wrote: "That was the palace's official objection but the people certainly objected to the fact that she was American..."

Well, it's true that following WWI, George V did away with the requirement to marry foreign nobility for the sake of making the monarchy more British. But, Prince Philip was Greek, and though people made a stink about it, they still allowed that marriage to go forward. In fact, it's said that Charles would have married Lucia Santa Cruz had she not been Catholic. It'd be awfully hypocritical for the Queen to object to American "royalty" when she herself married a foreign prince.

Though, I will say, after the Meghan experience, I'm sure they'll be super wary of Americans from this point on. It's not like Americans have a very good track record marrying into the royal family Lol

Lisa wrote: "Of course Nixon! He always had such grandiose ideas!"

Yup, big risk-taker, that Nixon. Go big or go home.

Lisa wrote: "The Royal family showed their complete and total ignorance after Diana died. The Queen , Charles and all did their best to ignore it. Were it not for the public outcry?
Fuck the Royals."

Certainly a source of strong feeling and possible outrage... definitely outrage in your case. I appreciate your conviction.

Thanks for the insight!

Amy wrote: "Thanks for the insight!"

My pleasure :)

aleesha wrote: "Ugh! I will never forgive this man for what he did to Lady Diana >:|"

To be fair, it's not Charles' fault to fell in love with Camilla, it's also not his fault that his family didn't allow them to get married because of certain circumstances but it doesn't mean he can treat Diana so badly. I mean she was his wife and the mother of his children after all. It's as if she was a shadow between Charles and Camilla the whole time. A little respect and compassion will do. She did everything she could to earn his love but no matter what she did, it'll never be enough for him. I'm so glad she freed herself from him at the end. At least they both got what they want: Diana--liberty, Charles--to marry the woman she loves.

Patricia wrote: "aleesha wrote: "Ugh! I will never forgive this man for what he did to Lady Diana >:|"

To be fair, it's not Charles' fault to fell in love with Camilla, it's also not his fault that his family did..."

I tend to tread lightly myself when discussing the personal lives of people I don't know. Unless it's very clear cut, physical or sexual abuse for example, it's always a judgement based on what you're told from one side or the other, and it's almost never the complete, unvarnished truth. People forget that Diana had several affairs of her own. The ones with her riding instructor and her bodyguard are just the well publicized ones. Whether those were in retaliation or by arrangement, as it was for Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten, we'll probably never know. What I will say is that Charles appears to be the one who brought adultery into the marriage, and so, having fired the first shot, so to speak, the lion's share of the complications with their marriage lies at his feet.

Yes, I agree! People always tells me that Charles is the most wicked one. I mean, Diana ain't a saint either 💁. Their relationship was troubled from the start anyway.

Patricia wrote: "Yes, I agree! People always tells me that Charles is the most wicked one. I mean, Diana ain't a saint either 💁. Their relationship was troubled from the start anyway."

I've not gotten to her portion of this book yet, but from what I understand, she was one of the many upper-class young ladies that pined after Charles and wanted to marry into the royal family. Not quite a Meghan Markle type, but she was certainly attracted to Charles more for his titles more than she was for his looks. And that's not exactly a healthy place to start any relationship, let alone the most high-profile relationship in the world.

Jayson wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Yes, I agree! People always tells me that Charles is the most wicked one. I mean, Diana ain't a saint either 💁. Their relationship was troubled from the start anyway."

I've not go..."

Whoa i didn't know that, but if she was attracted to his title then why did she said on one of the interview that she didn't want to marry him just a few days before the wedding or something... thanks for the info btw, i really appreciate your opinion.

Patricia wrote: "Whoa i didn't know that, but if she was attracted to his title then why did she said on one of the interview that she didn't want to marry him just a few days before the wedding or something... thanks for the info btw, i really appreciate your opinion."

Oh, I'm always happy to discuss books I'm reading :)

There's a number of things at play here. It's not uncommon for young women to dream about marrying a prince. It's actually kind of a trope. It's also not uncommon for people about to be married to have cold feet. Many people have second thoughts about marriage in the days leading up to it. So, the interview answer could have been just that, or it could have been like it was represented in The Crown, where she found out about Camilla at about that time. Not knowing the context of what you're referring to, these are just guesses on my part.

Jayson wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Whoa i didn't know that, but if she was attracted to his title then why did she said on one of the interview that she didn't want to marry him just a few days before the wedding or..."

Yeah, i mean Charles was a sweetheart to many girls. And There are lots of reasons why she said that indeed, i'm not surprised tho, she got married at a very young age, maybe she didn't know what marriage actually meant at the time, only saw the happy parts and not the struggles. Yet i'm pretty sure it's because she found out about Camilla too.

Patricia wrote: "Yeah, i mean Charles was a sweetheart to many girls. And There are lots of reasons why she said that indeed, i'm not surprised tho, she got married at a very young age, maybe she didn't know what marriage actually meant at the time..."

Yup, finding out about Camilla certainly wouldn't help. Also, I'd have to guess you're correct about her not having the best understanding of a healthy marriage. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and so that almost certainly affected her idea of it. At best, she might have seen aspects of a healthy marriage with her parents and their new spouses, but both her parent's subsequent marriages also ended in divorce, so she didn't exactly have the best patterns to follow.

Jayson wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Yeah, i mean Charles was a sweetheart to many girls. And There are lots of reasons why she said that indeed, i'm not surprised tho, she got married at a very young age, maybe she d..."

Exactly, what i was thinking! And Their relationship may not be perfect, but they're still good people and best at doing their job. Charles is not that mean like people thought he was after all.

Patricia wrote: "Exactly, what i was thinking! And Their relationship may not be perfect, but they're still good people and best at doing their job. Charles is not that mean like people thought he was after all."

Relationship drama aside, I think Charles is a very decent person, who's done a lot of good. He's been a very loud voice for environmental advocacy, and his Prince's Trust charity has helped hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged youth for over forty years. I think he'll make a decent king. He's pretty much doing the job now, or at least all the heavy lifting.

Jayson wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Exactly, what i was thinking! And Their relationship may not be perfect, but they're still good people and best at doing their job. Charles is not that mean like people thought he ..."

I know, right? I thought so too! He's also a good son to his parents, a good father to the boys. People judged him as a wicked husband and they just forgot all his deeds or something. It was the past anyway, Charles and Camilla got what they wanted, they're happy and you should too.

Patricia wrote: "People judged him as a wicked husband and they just forgot all his deeds or something. It was the past anyway, Charles and Camilla got what they wanted, they're happy and you should too."

I'm all for people moving past unpleasant times and misdeeds, and living their best life :)