King Charles delights Prince William, Kate Middleton with subtle nod to their kids
King Charles enjoys a very sweet relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, and hopes to bond with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children as well.
The 75-year-old gave a sweet and surprising shoutout to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in an important speech, and it went down a storm with Prince of Wales.
The monarch welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan to Buckingham Palace in June. In his warm and welcoming address, the King significantly lightened the mood also as he made a funny reference to his three grandchildren.
The King recalled shared memories with Naruhito, including trips to the opera and fly fishing together as younger men.
“I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing,” he said.
“The Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ’em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational,” he added.
His joke went down a storm with guests, including proud dad Prince William who joined in the laughter around the table.
King Charles is known to be a doting grandfather. The monarch now spends more time at Windsor Castle, which allows him to see Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, even more often. The Wales family reside in Adelaide Cottage, which is just a 10-minute walk from the castle.
Royal expert Robert Hardman told PEOPLE: “Like all families, they’ll have their moments, but there is clearly a sense of common purpose. They all realise this is a team effort.”
Charles is also said to be keen to forge a closer relationship with Prince Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, despite the Sussexes’ estrangement from the royals.
However, Prince Harry – in his latest interview – seemingly shattered King Charles dream to see Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in person as he reiterated security risk does not allow him to travel to the UK without adequate police protection.
Royal expert Jennie Bond has said the King would now love the chance to get to know his grandchildren.
“Having grandchildren is a powerful tug on the heartstrings. Little people who are part of your bloodline and have had nothing to do with family quarrels and tensions,” she told OK! magazine.
“So I can imagine that the King very much wants the chance to get to know Archie and Lilibet and to create some memories for them.”
