An extract from a new documentary entitled The Coronation Year, broadcast on the BBC on Tuesday 26 December, shows Charles III in full display of affection with his son William, his daughter-in-law Kate and their three children George, Charlotte and Louis. Check out these surprising images.
Royal court protocol may forbid hugs, kisses and other public displays of affection, but the Windsors are still a loving and affectionate family. At least that’s what images taken from a new documentary entitled The Coronation Year, shown on the BBC on Tuesday 26 December, suggest. Some of the footage was picked up by several British media, including the Daily Mail. In one of the extracts, the monarch can be seen attending a rehearsal for his coronation at Westminster Abbey last May. He warmly welcomes his eldest son William, his daughter-in-law Princess of Wales and their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
King Charles III first kissed the Prince of Wales, who put his hand on his shoulder, and then the Princess, who followed this with a smile and a curtsy. He then bends down to kiss his granddaughter Charlotte on the cheek, followed by the future heir to the throne George, dressed in an elegant dinner jacket, and finally the head of the youngest member of the clan of Wales, Louis, whose hand can be seen grasping his grandfather’s arm. “What particularly struck me was how extraordinarily affectionate they are with each other,” said Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford. “You can tell it’s a close-knit family across all generations. You can feel that this is a family event as well as a royal and national event”, added the clergyman.
Prince Harry’s accusations in his memoirs belied by these images?
These images contradict the claims made by Prince Harry, who accused his father of “never having hugged him” in his memoirs entitled The Spare, published last January. “The older generation always held to the ban on physical contact,” he wrote. No hugs, no kisses, no affectionate pats on the shoulder. Occasionally, at the very most, a light pinch of the cheek… on special occasions.” He concludes acidly: “No matter how much you love someone in this family, you can never cross that divide between, say, the monarch and the child. Or the heir and the deputy.”
Photo credits: AGENCE / BESTIMAGE