King Charles’ relationship with both of his sons has been a topic of contention as people speculate about the British Royal family. There’s no doubt that there’s currently a feud between King Charles and Prince Harry, but some reports have surfaced that the relationship between King Charles and his other son, Prince William, is also not the best. And some say part of the reason is Kate Middleton.
The reports indicate Prince William “won’t commit” to moving to Highgrove, a ‘snub’ his father reportedly expected when he took the throne. “He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall, which I have undertaken for more than five decades,” King Charles said then.
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“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.”
Part of William’s inheritance from his father is the stewardship of Highgrove House and Garden in Gloucestershire, a place where Charles and the late Princess Diana once lived with young William and Harry. It officially passed to William in 2022, when his father became King.
But Charles’ former gardener, Jack Stooks, told the Mirror that it seems unlikely that William will choose Highgrove as his future home. The Prince’s Foundation currently rents the garden from the Duchy of Cornwall.
“Before he became King, I think the idea was that they needed to make sure that the garden was actually protected,” Stooks said. “I think he thought that William probably wouldn’t move into Highgrove once he became King, so the idea was, ‘Let’s protect it somehow,’ so it was given over to the Prince’s Foundation. So, the Prince’s Foundation now rents the garden from the Duchy of Cornwall.”
The reasons why Stooks believes William won’t chose Highgrove have to do with what it represents, and also with standing out on his own: “Highgrove was very much his mum and dad’s home – where they were brought up – so it’s like a family home that mum and dad lived in.” However, “I think that William’s obviously got his own family now, so he’s got his own family unit and they’ve been brought up at Anmer Hall, and also now at the Adelaide Cottage.”
On top of that, there’s also the heavy burden of comparison that might fall on Kate Middleton if the family did move there, according to Stooks. “That’s like her having to step into Diana’s shoes,” he said, adding, “And she’s so often compared to Diana in the press, which I think is unfair because, yes, I know she’s the Princess of Wales, and I know that Diana was the Princess of Wales, but they’re very separate people.”
“They’re both individual women that, you know, absolutely adore their children.”
So it seems unlikely the family will be moving anytime soon. But, as with many things in the British Royal family, we will just have to wait and see.
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