King Charles' cautionary marriage advice to son Prince William before his royal wedding
"Don’t make the mistakes that I made..."King Charles reportedly gave his son Prince William a candid piece of advice before his marriage to Kate Middleton.
His Majesty had a straightforward conversation with his son ahead of his wedding to the future Princess of Wales back in 2011.
It came to light that the King reportedly gave his heir a vital piece of knowledge that he took from his own experiences.
King Charles’ marriage advice to son Prince William
Royal author Ingrid Seward told Fox News the monarch had a private moment with his son before he proposed to the love of his life, Kate.
Reflecting on the breakdown of his marriage to Princess Diana – which he had ‘regrets’ – and taking several years to settle down with his wife Queen Camilla, Charles was open about his own mistakes.
Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 – riding in the same carriage William and Kate took on their wedding day three decades later. However, the relationship began to break down and the future king admitted to being unfaithful when it was beyond repair.
The couple divorced in 1996, a year before the former Princess of Wales passed away in a car crash at just 36 years old.
Charles and Camilla went public with their relationship years later, and married in 2005. They’ve been together ever since and recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.
Ingrid said King Charles uttered to Prince William before his marriage: “[His father] said, ‘Look, William, there’s nothing more important than your family.
“‘Don’t make the mistakes that I made’.
“‘I just did duty, duty, duty. I neglected my marriage, and look what happened.'”
Charles ‘supported’ William taking a break from royal duties
William and Kate suffered a ‘brutal’ year over the past 12 months when Kate Middleton was diagnosed with cancer in 2024.
The couple took a step back from royal duties, and Kate was only seen a few times throughout the year as she underwent cancer treatment. The princess announced she was in remission earlier this year and is looking forward to the future.
But during that time, William had to juggle supporting his wife, and their three young children. The future king also had to deal with his father also being diagnosed with a form of cancer, which he is still fighting.
Seward added Charles supported Prince William in taking a step back to be there for his family and his marriage.
She said: “I think she’s had fantastic support from Prince William.
“He publicly said it’s been the toughest year that he’s ever had, and it’s been very … difficult. So, we can only imagine how difficult it [really] must have been because William also [had] to reassure their three young children that mummy’s going to be OK. Kids get very worried when they see their parents unwell, especially for such a length of time.”
The author of My Mother and I added: “I think it’s been very tough, and he has been an enormous support.
“And, in turn, he has been supported by his father.”
Read more: 8 times Kate Middleton defiantly shut down divorce rumours with Prince William
Kate and William’s wedding anniversary
April 29 marks William and Kate’s wedding anniversary, and this year they are returning to Scotland for the big day.
The duo tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in 2011, in front of 1,900 guests and 17 million live viewers worldwide.
The couple are travelling back to the country where they met more than two decades earlier while students at the University of St Andrews. During their trip, they are travelling to the Isles of Mull and Iona, off the west coast.
It’s believed they’ll be spending their anniversary at an isolated self-catered cottage on Mull.
“Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart,” William, who as heir holds the title Lord of the Isles, said back in 2021.
“George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us… We have no doubt they will grow up sharing our love and connection to Scotland.”
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