At the age of 46, then-Prince Charles opened up his journals and his life to Jonathan Dimbleby. Dimbleby wrote an authorized biography of Charles, and filmed and interviewed Charles extensively for what became the documentary Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role. Charles went on the record, on camera, about his adulterous affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, the breakdown of his marriage to Diana and how neglected he was as a child. There was a lot about his parents being awful, but most of the time, people just remember the Camilla stuff. Many people considered Charles’s Dimbleby projects to be the wrong move, but in retrospect… I think Charles was right to want to get his side out, both good and bad. Surely on some level, he understands Prince Harry’s desire to do the same? Of course not. But here’s the rub: Charles is now considering doing another major interview ahead of his Chubbly. And now the big concern is “will Charles be asked about Harry??”
King Charles may be about to break his silence on Prince Harry as he prepares to do a landmark BBC interview. Palace aides are discussing the possibility of the monarch using his chat to give his side of the story following a string of incendiary claims in his son’s memoir Spare and his Netflix documentary with wife Meghan.
If the Palace agrees to the interview, Charles could set the record straight on the Megxit drama, in which Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, stepped back as working Royal Family members. Charles, 74, and Prince William, 40, and wife Kate, 41, have maintained a dignified silence following a stream of sensational claims.
Beeb bosses want the King to do a piece to camera about his life and his plans as monarch, which would feature in their coverage celebrating his coronation on May 6. And the BBC could use veteran broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, 78, a long-term friend of Charles, to conduct the chat. Palace aides are concerned about the line of questioning, it is claimed. But sources say the monarch is mulling over the interview offer.
An insider said: “Plans are already up and running for coronation coverage at the BBC, including the profile on the monarch. It is not the done thing to avoid subjects in interviews, so it makes matters tricky. Even one small comment on Harry and Meghan would make worldwide news. It could also prompt a response from Harry, which would be unpredictable, like so much. Everything is very delicate.”
No matter what decision is made, sources say the Beeb is planning a profile of the King. ITV has also asked for an interview but insiders say their chances are slim after Harry’s chat with the channel’s Tom Bradby, 56, earlier this month.
The Mirror’s palace insiders also suggest that Charles is considering doing zero interviews and merely releasing some videos or a taped pre-Clowning speech, all of which can be made in-house. I think that’s a mistake? Charles should speak again on camera, he should give a real interview. This whole thing of “the monarch should remain silent/the monarch can’t give interviews” is completely bizarre to me, and I think the concept has completely outlived its usefulness.
As for the palace being worried about Sussex questions… Charles is a 74 year old man, surely he can memorize some very simple and loving platitudes to recite during the interview? I still can’t believe the palace didn’t issue a simple statement ahead of Prince Harry’s Spare – anything like “The King acknowledges that he was not a perfect father, but he loves his son, his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren very much and he hopes to see them soon.” That would have taken the air out of everything in and around Spare! The palace keeps fumbling these issues because Charles doesn’t know how to simply be magnanimous and diplomatic towards his family.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- King Charles III delivers his address to the nation and the Commonwealth from Buckingham Palace, London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture date: Friday September 9, 2022. . .,Image: 721402925, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- King Charles III during the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, London, where King Charles III is formally proclaimed monarch. Charles automatically became King on the death of his mother, but the Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, confirms his role. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022. . .,Image: 721404798, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- King Charles III during the Accession Council at St James’s Palace, London, where King Charles III is formally proclaimed monarch. Charles automatically became King on the death of his mother, but the Accession Council, attended by Privy Councillors, confirms his role. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022. . .,Image: 721406187, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III at the presentation of Addresses by both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall, inside the Palace of Westminster, central London on September 12, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8.,Image: 721936686, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph / Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III speaks during the presentation of Addresses by both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall, inside the Palace of Westminster, central London on September 12, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8.,Image: 721936912, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: BEN STANSALL / Avalon
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- King Charles III Attends Service Of Reflection For Queen Elizabeth II At St Anne’s Cathedral In Belfast Featuring: King Charles III Where: Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom When: 13 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III leaving Clarence House, London, ahead of the ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 14 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III leaving Clarence House, London, ahead of the ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 14 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where Her Majesty will lie in state Featuring: Prince Harry, King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 14 Sep 2022 Credit: Cover Images
As I said in another post, all this coronation nonsense makes me want to puke. Petition to change the of Charles’ ascension to The Upchuckly.
VERY apt
Yes! The UpChuckly is perfect!
Or we could even call it the UpChucky.
I LOVE Upchuckly!
Only in the British media would Charles’ pre approved questions softball King interview be portrayed as the definitive account and “setting the record straight.”
OMG you guys went ahead and chose a name already!? So we are calling it the Chubbly?
My vote was for The Clowning ™!
My vote goes to The Clowning as well. Happy to see it used in the article 😀
My vote was also for “The Clowning “
I voted Chuckfest but, it didn’t catch on. Mind you I’m happy with both Chubbly and The Clowning. 😆
I really liked “ ClusterChuck” 🫡
I’m going with @Nightshade here. ClusterChuck is perfect.
LMAO @ ClusterChuck! I skipped the debate on this, but I am cracking up now.
My personal name for it is the “The Bore-a-nation” because it’s going to be three days where the whole country is supposed to be focused on someone finally getting to put on their dead mom’s really fancy uncomfortable hat.
I was going to suggest “Chubbly” would be better saved for his first Jubilee but then I learned that would require waiting 25 years, which might not be in the cards for the old boy. So carry on!
Charles can hold his own in interviews I think he can gives platitudes that appease both royalists and those that are sympathetic to Harry and Meghan but still are royalists and that’s all that really matter. Because anything short of an apology and acknowledgement of wrong doings is not gonna fly with Sussex fans.
He also has to be careful about what he say he lie and Harry is gonna call him out.
Watch the courtiers bungle this one, if the story is true. I agree, that interview should be live and in color. No tip off re questions.
So the real story is that they are doing a profile on Charles before the chubby.
Everything else was added for effect and clicks.
Charles has done tons of these. He’s been on a few shows recently where he was asked questions in regards to his projects. This sounds similar granted it’s probably a fuller view of his life leading to the coronation.
I doubt he’ll say anything beyond what he did in his last speech at the funeral..
Only Harry is man enough to say what he means in front of cameras.
Exactly. And really, I don’t see how it helps Charles at all to talk about Harry in any way other than as a loving father. Charles already has his leaking pipeline to the tabloids – he doesn’t need to tell “his side of the story” in front of the cameras.
Oh sure, give an interview.
That worked out so well when Andrew do it.
Tampon is better at this than Pedrew. And that tells you everything, doesn’t it.
Knives were out for Andrew. This is statecraft. The BBC wants to help Charles succeed.
Chubbly is good. How about Chuckly. Chuckly is good because it uses the diminutive of Charles, Chuck, to address the king. And maybe get people to refer to him as King Chuck. But again Chubbly is good..
Blech…why tho? He’s just trying to talk up shit to try and get ahead of the 3 day tone deaf Emperor With No Clothes coronation. I hope he gets egged.
@ girl_ninja – “get ahead of the 3 day tone deaf…”
Get ahead how? It’d be like a cartoon character running away from an avalanche.
No way anything he says before the Chubbly will forestall the sh*tstorm that is going to come after it – because even if they held a tasteful, low-key, low-cost coronation in a hotel ballroom the British monarchy itself is still problematic.
But they are going to hold a tone-deaf, jewel-encrusted glorification of entitledness, and they are rightly going to get slagged for it.
If he gives an interview, I’m sure it will be tightly scripted and only involve questions he wants to answer for his own PR. They just wanted a way to mention H&M in the article so anyone would care enough to listen.
honestly, i used to really dislike Charles for being such a small man, marrying a woman he had no right to marry at 19 years of age, and being a bad father to his sons. but now i just feel pity. pity bc this is a really really emotionally stunted man who still carries a stuffed teddy around bc the queen and prince phil were such bad parents it’s permanently scarred him. then he’s put into a role of leadership and has no idea how to be a leader. he’s passionate about some things but also are just confined to this checkbox that he has to fill. he’s just a deeply deeply flawed man that really shouldn’t become a leader (not gonna even start on how i think everyone should not have any titles, including harry and william and the monarchy/aristocracy should just disband). i disagree about the interview. if the goal is to make him more likable and endear him to the public…it won’t. don’t give that interview Charles…it’s not going to make you look any better because you’re just NOT charismatic enough to pull it off and come off likable. he is not harry. this is not a PR move that will end well.
I’m not watching or clicking on any coronation anything.
Ignore the entire mess.
Hubby and I are planning to take advantage of the extra bank holiday and leave the country for a long weekend to escape the wall to wall right wing chucklefest – hopefully to the Europe we are no longer part of😥
It’s a load of crap. Actually thinking back I think we tried to do the same when Khate and Willnot got hitched , and we felt the same way . A lot of people just take advantage of the extra day off
I don’t think Charles giving an interview with the platitudes he has uttered so far is going to work for Harry. And whatever he says won’t work for people like me who think a monarchy in the 21st century is just simply absurd. It’s gone way beyond anachronistic at this point.
Totally agree Brassy Rebel. Anything he says about Harry and Meghan will be shady at best. Let’s not forget he couldn’t even say they lived in America, only that they live “Overseas.” We later find out that behind closed doors they’re referred to as the Duke and Duchess Overseas. Jeez I was puzzled at the time as to why he wouldn’t say America and then to read the courtiers called them Duke and Duchess Overseas made my blood boil. For a father to be so sly in his attempt to humiliate his son and his wife is beneath contempt.
Charles was never a father. He was a boss. Detached, unloving, removed from feeling, monarchy and profits first. The Dysfunctionals–that’s the name of this reality show. And, yeah, I would like for him to do an interview…to put a final nail in the coffin of the monarchy.
ITA with your first 3 sentences. I call the show BRFCo. Harry nailed it in the Netflix series when he said they may never get accountability or apology, despite soft-pedaling possible reconciliation in personal interviews.
“ I think the concept had completely outlived its usefulness.”
I think that about the royal family in general.
Word.
If Kate wanted an example of how Early Childhood dysfunction can ruin a life, her father-in-law is an excellent example. Poor chuck- not enough love, and too much pampering. Bullied and lonely. If only Kate had been around to raise awareness of the harm that all the adults around Charles were doing to him.
If she had been around, would Betty have even listened and engaged? I think not. She wasn’t much brighter than Kate.
Elizabeth had a major flaw, she ignored potential BIG problems until they became crises.
And Charles was pampered and praised by his grandmother who made him feel the center of the universe. Charles should have learned from the coldness of his parents to be a great father. He is arguably WORSE than his parents. The Queen and Philip did not enable the eldest son to oust his brother. And the way he treated his first wife as gross. William is another Charles now. So it may even get worse in the next generation. I feel no pity for Charles and he should have used his upbringing as an example of what NOT to do. No excuses for “poor” Charles. Kate should also consider the special treatment of the HEIR causes a great deal of harm in the family. Cases in point: William and Charles.
I don’t know…Liz and Phil raised Andrew and Charles, and Andrew at least is worse than William. None of Liz and Phil’s kids are as good as Harry, but it’s not like Charles raised him…
Tough call, but ultimately I think Liz and Phil are worse. For Andrew’s victims alone.
Charles has no mystical vibe like Elizabeth had over the course of her 70 years of reign, she became queen when she was a beautiful young woman, the impression she left on the people of her time, through such a long period of time cannot be broken. But Charles has none of that, he’s just a 70 something dude that had an affair and married a lazy groupie mean witch while being married to the most beautiful women inside out, and now accessing the throne after a lifetime of waiting and while waiting, was such an asshole to his own son, who married a black woman. really the narrative is so different, and these people are so imprinted in tradition, they have no idea what is takes to modernize their thoughts and thinking. He will give no interviews, be sure of that. That is just the press baiting him to think about it.
Given that the press’ opposition to Harry doing interview, they should be condemning Charles for considering doing an interview and should not be done by his friend.
I vote Clowning of Charles
“Even one small comment on Harry and Meghan would make worldwide news”.
^This. Right there. They better recognize!
Why can Chuck sit down with BBC but not Harry?
Because Bully Bald Boy won’t let him.
This is ridiculous to bring Harry into Charles’ desire for the spotlight.
Charles should not use a public platform to speak to Harry, he should pick up the phone and have these conversations in private, or have them in person. This is not some soap opera playing out for the public’s entertainment. This is not the Truman Show.
Oh please don’t. Charles always manages to mess things up. LIke the time he outed Camilla as his mistress on TV and forced the PB divorce.
It is for this very reason that I hope Charles does it. Make things worse, Chaz. Go ahead. I double-dog dare you.
That’s true. And maybe Charles can add a Woking Pizza type story to the mix.
Oh please do, for exactly the reasons you listed. He’ll do more damage to himself and the institution. Can’t wait to see it.
I want him to be asked about the pens.
Does anyone think Clown Central can orchestrate anything remotely positive without mucking it up? At this point, eff ups are their trademark! Foot in mouth disease is apparently contagious and leadership skills and graciousness are anathema, sycophants are besties, and embracing American money – but definitely no Americans- are the long term objectives. Plus C-Rex knows the Sussexes are key to any real global interest in this clownfest so is trying to gin up interest.
Although difficult questions won’t be allowed, I think he should wait and give the interview after the Clowna-nation since his kingship becomes “official” then. Plus he can answer questions about his plans re his concurrent role as head of the Church of England.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but is there anything the courtiers CAN’T bungle?
Seems as though Charles will do absolutely anything other than simply talk to, apologise to and offer some personal love/support to his son and family.
He’s already asked the Prime Minister to intervene, the Archbishop to intervene anything but deal with things himself. He’s a coward and can’t do ‘feelings’. I think he’s also scared of the reaction from his eldest son if he does or says anything Willy deems favourable towards Harry. Willy’s true nature has been well and truly outed and he will spend the rest of his life being as much of a thorn in Harry’s life as he can. There’s no fixing this family feud ever because of that. The difference in personality types between Harry and William are just too broad and all encompassing. Harry values the inner, truthful qualities of life and William the outer, superficial ones.
Charles cannot go publicly against his heir to be seen to sympathise with Harry even if he wanted to. Add to that situation his natural cowardice and the constant negative Camilla/courtier/press whisperings in his ear feeding his fears of public unpopularity he will procrastinate to the bitter end.
I do wonder if Charles could put out a statement like you suggest saying he loves Harry without muttering “whatever love is, anyway.”
#KingCharlesTheLast may very well be what happens.
Charles believes he is perfect. He will never admit otherwise, let alone in front of the world.