King Charles Allegedly Begged William Not to Repeat a Painful Family 'Mistake' He Made: 'Please Don't...'

2024 turned out to be a difficult year for the royal family as both King Charles and Kate Middleton were diagnosed with cancer. Having undergone treatment, the Princess of Wales is now in remission, while the monarch has resumed his royal duties, making state visits to Australia, Italy, and, more recently, Canada. As the family underwent a challenging period, Charles allegedly asked his son, Prince William, not to make the same mistake he once did, advising him to be there for his family.

Royal experts, in the latest Channel 5 documentary, William and Catherine: Putting Family First, detailed Charles's emotional plea to William. According to Marca, Ingrid Seward shared, “Charles said to William, 'Please don't make the mistake that I made' and 'I want you to enjoy your family life.’” She explained how the King was insistent about his advice, allegedly adding, “I was so dedicated to duty, I couldn't make way for family life in the way that I should've done.” William reportedly took his father’s advice to heart and did as told. Royal fans were impressed by how William both stepped in for his father and was there for Middleton and their children. Royal watchers saw several changes in his and Middleton's behavior post-cancer scare. The Waleses, unlike in the past, have been spotted holding hands during formal visits.

Commenting on the same, former royal butler Grant Harrold shared that he never expected to see such a side of Charles. He said, “I can absolutely see that there's been a turning point in his life that I'd never thought I'd witness.” Harrold further opined, “I think for the first time ever you've got a King, who I think deep down if his boys need him, he would probably put them before the Crown.”

Prince Harry, in his explosive memoir, Spare, also echoed Harrold's claims and detailed the old Charles. The Duke of Sussex shared how he had a distant relationship with his father growing up, as the latter was an ‘older’ dad. He wrote, “He'd been an older dad, and I'd always felt that this created problems, placed barriers between us.” The Prince added, “In his middle years, he'd become more sedentary, more habitual... He wasn't the kind of father who played endless rounds of tag or tossed a ball until long after dark.”

Unlike his father, William is known to spend a lot of time with his and Middleton’s three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The couple is raising their kids away from the spotlight, given that William spent his entire childhood in the public eye, hounded by the press.