THE Spencers have a 500-year-old history. Their ancestors came from a line of English aristocracy unbroken since the time of the Tudors. Althorp estate, where Diana, Princess of Wales is buried, has remained in their family for 19 generations. The ancestry of King Charles III by comparison is erratic. It is drawn from Scottish Stuarts, imported Hanoverians, and the impecunious German house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which, during World War I, to survive changed its cognomen to the House of Windsor.
To many, Charles Windsor’s decision to finally marry Diana Spencer (after dating her elder sister, Sarah) seemed a coup for the Spencer family. After centuries of living at one remove from the crown, they now had an opportunity of occupying centre stage. Instead, the Charles-Diana marriage in 1981 and their divorce 15 years later attracted as much coverage as the Trojan war.
On June 29, 1994, Prince Charles — in an unprecedented television interview — confessed to adultery. He was not the first heir apparent to have had extramarital affairs. There were others before him: Charles II, George IV, Edward VII. He was the first to admit his transgressions before his future subjects. The same evening, his estranged wife Diana retaliated, appearing in her now famously provocative black ‘revenge’ dress. Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has resurrected her memory with his ‘revenge’ black book — Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
Three years ago, the public was titillated by Prince Harry’s tell-nearly-all memoir Spare. Readers are now being regaled by another bout of royalty-bashing, this time by Harry’s maternal uncle Earl Spencer who too has converted private grief into a commercial potboiler. Spencer’s book is an abrasive put-down of his royal brother-in-law — a Charles vs Charles prize-fight, with no holds barred. In this blue-blooded slugfest, the royal Charles is the underdog. He is fighting with his tongue tied behind his back.
Today, Charles III stands trapped in his destiny.
King Charles’ life has been a unique predicament. Reared in a relentless spotlight, he was forced by his father to attend a harsh school he detested. Being Prince of Wales, he had to master the arcane Welsh language. Then, despite being in love with someone else, obedient to the demands of his dynasty, he had to marry an immature Diana (she was 12 years younger). To her future mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II, what mattered were Diana’s credentials: an aristocratic lineage, photogenic good looks, and an unimpeachable chastity.
Charles spent 64 years as Prince of Wales in waiting. No other heir in British history endured such a long apprenticeship. Today, as a geriatric monarch, he stands trapped in his destiny, a martyr (like his namesake Charles I), assailed constantly by an unforgiving press and unfeeling plebeians.
Today, some hereditary monarchs (for example, in Japan, Thailand and Scandinavia) are withering on the vine, while democracies are being ruled by dynastically inclined autocrats. King Charles, to ensure that his heir William (when it is his turn) has a comfortable ride in the coronation coach, is doing his utmost to modernise the monarchy and increase its relevance. But even Charles may not be able to stem the republican tide that threatens their throne.
Fending off critics, however, as his mother did her nemesis Lord Altrincham in darker days is one thing. Protecting himself from character assassinations from within his family is quite another.
Prince Charles and his wife Duchess Camilla came to Pakistan in late 2006. It was his first visit to this part of the subcontinent. He endeared himself to Pakistanis with the remark: “It has taken me very nearly 58 years to reach you, and it’s not from want of trying.” They fulfilled engagements in Islamabad but had to cancel a trip to Peshawar for security reasons (there had been an explosion in Bajaur). They visited Lahore and later, accompanied by Prince Karim Aga Khan, also made stops in Hunza and Skardu.
At Lahore, one witnessed at first hand Charles’ intellectual prowess when he chaired a session in Governor House on interreligious dialogue. He spoke knowledgeably without notes on the commonality in the three Abrahamic faiths. He radiated humanism, explaining that he saw himself not just as Defender of the Christian Faith (Fidei Defensor) but as Defender of Faiths in a now multi-ethnic United Kingdom.
At Allama Iqbal’s tomb, however, his regal sangfroid was sorely tested. The khatib, who 15 years earlier had escorted Princess Diana around the Badshahi mosque, recited the obligatory prayer in Arabic. Suddenly, he went extempore, and that too in English, saying: “Thank you, dear God, for bringing Prince Charles to Lahore … along with his beautiful mother.” Charles and Camilla, with practised polished dignity, never moved a muscle.
The writer is an author.
Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026
