King Charles was unexpectedly 'cheerful' after bald patch made headlines
The monarch has been making headline since he was born – literally, but some are better than others. It is expected the first child of...The monarch has been making headline since he was born – literally, but some are better than others. It is expected the first child of the late Queen Elizabeth II would be in the public eye throughout his entire life. However, a photographer has looked back at memorable times he’s had with King Charles, and how the photo of his bald patch led to an unexpected response from the then Prince of Wales.
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards sat down to speak about the time he’s spent with the monarchy throughout his career. He has managed to get close to King Charles throughout the decades, being the first person to capture his bald patch in an unexpected picture that made headlines the next day. Although the then prince had every right to be upset at the time, he actually wasn’t.
King Charles wanted to speak to photographer face-to-face after his bald patch made the front page
Speaking to TalkTV, Edwards praised the monarch, who ascended to the throne in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
He explained Charles had always been devoted to his duty throughout his life, even during the ‘terrible time’ he’s facing right now with his cancer diagnosis.
Edwards said: “I photographed him leaving the polo match in the late ’70s, maybe ’78 or ’79. [King Charles] had this huge bald patch at the back of his head, he hadn’t bothered to comb over it because he was in a rush to get back to London.
“It appeared as a splash picture the next day, it would have been the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, that’s the day it was.
“It was a massive picture, it had a headline ‘Oops Charles, you’ve got a patch in your thatch’.
“Three days later, a policeman said at a polo match in Windsor, ‘He wants to have a word with you’. He came up, ‘Are you the person who took a picture of my bald spot?’ I said ‘Yes sir, have you been getting a lot of stick about it?’
“‘Who saw it?’, [Edwards replied] ‘Well, it would have been about seven million people’.
“He said ‘Oh my god, that’s why everywhere I go people are photographing the back of my head’. He was quite cheerful about it, but that was my first conversation with him.
‘Charles wouldn’t cope without his humor’
Edwards had more conversations with the then Prince of Wales – a title now held by Prince William. Although the snapper caught King Charles’ bald patch, it didn’t stop the royal from making a point of talking to him at official events.
The photographer said: “He once said to me, ‘If it wasn’t for my sense of humor, I don’t think I would be able to cope'”.
“Slowly I started to realize that this man was special.
“I went on a few of his tours and I watched him talk to presidents of these countries, for their rainforests. He was begging for them to not rip up this precious resource and he gave me a very good interview about that in Brazil.
“I suddenly realized, this man, has got a lot on his mind about climate, this was 30 years ago. It’s not like he’s just come onto this now. He’s been absolutely caring about this [this whole time].”
Charles is ‘so proud’ of the Prince’s Trust
The Prince’s Trust works with young people to support them into work, education and training, no matter their background. The ogranization works on supporting those from disadvantaged communities, and helps build confidence and skills through a mix of programs.
Charles used his own severance pay from the Navy to fund a number of initiatives to set up the foundation.
Edwards explained: “He started the Prince’s Trust when he left the Navy pension and he got in touch Jon Snow, the broadcaster, who used to run a charity for children who had lost their way. Since then, the Prince’s Trust over a million young people have come off the scrap heap and done brilliantly well, some have become millionaires, others great actors, and one is a great magician.
“He’s awfully proud of that.
“When you go to the ceremonies every year, you are in tears listening to how the Prince’s Trust has changed these young people’s lives. He enjoys it so much, and so many people, from actors and film stars to singers, have all got involved.”
