Prince Charles
The Queen’s attitude towards the firstborn has often been the subject of intense debate. Prince Charles was just five when his parents embarked on their first post-Her Majesty’s coronation tour, which lasted six months. Charles and Anne stayed at home, the Queen being part of a generation that preferred to entrust the care of young children to palace staff. There is still a version that the Prince of Wales never developed a strong enough bond with his mother, and the nanny and grandmother the Queen Mother were closer to him.
According to historian Robert Lacey, the Queen thought it best to leave her children with nannies rather than show them around the world: “After all, she herself was brought up in a similar style. Her parents left her at home and entrusted her education to invited teachers and governesses.”
Columnist Jonathan Dimbleby, in his controversial biography of Charles, quotes His Majesty as referring to the “inevitable nannies” who taught him to play, watched him take his first steps, chastised him and encouraged him to improve.
Historian Sally Bedell Smith shares a similar opinion. “When Elizabeth became queen after her father’s death, her commitment to royal duties meant that she would have even less time for her children. When making important family decisions, she trusted her husband more and more and was always dependent on nannies.” According to the historian, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh saw their children after breakfast and during tea parties, but “in the manner of representatives of the upper class, without showing any feelings.’
And, most likely, this is exactly the kind of mother-son relationship that has remained to this day. How else could we explain Her Majesty’s genuine reaction to the word “mummy” uttered by the Prince of Wales on his birthday?
However, Prince Charles was very close to his grandmother, the Queen Mother. In 2002, the heir gave an emotional speech at her funeral, emphasizing: “She meant everything to me, and I, like many others, was afraid, afraid of this moment. Somehow I never thought this would happen. She seemed invincible, I adored her since I was little.” It is symbolic that Charles was one of the few relatives of the Queen who was able to say goodbye to her.
Princess Anne
The Queen’s only daughter recently revealed that she “hated” being a princess as a child. However, she also publicly spoke out against the traditional view that her mother was not as caring and involved in her upbringing as perhaps she should have been. “I just don’t believe there’s any evidence that she didn’t care.” I can’t think like that.” – In 2002, Ana said in an interview with the BBC on the occasion of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
According to Lacy, Anna was very attached to her mother when she was a teenager: “Ana developed a particularly close relationship with her mother because of their shared love of horses.” The historian also specifies that the princess often discussed fashion and clothing choices with Her Majesty.
Lacey also quotes a memoir by Lord Mountbatten, Prince Philip’s uncle, in which he spoke of “a night without Mabel“. When Mabel, Charles and Anne’s nanny, had a day off, Elizabeth could bathe the children herself before bed, read to them at night, and tuck the children into her own bed. It was the Queen’s favorite day of the week.
However, there are opinions that Princess Anna has always been more attached to her father. Thus, royal biographer Ingrid Seward notes that it was Prince Philip who encouraged his daughter to engage in equestrian sports. The Duke of Edinburgh generally admired the girl’s iron character, and Elizabeth herself paid much more attention to Charles’s state suppressed by his father’s authority – so much so that, according to some sources, she was once even politely advised not to create situations in which children would compete for her attention.
Princas Andrew
Elizabeth ruled the country for eight years when Prince Andrew was born, and according to Lacey, by then Her Majesty had become more “flexible” and warm to family members. She even gave up some royal duties to spend more time with her young sons.
“In the early 1960s, Her Majesty decided she had fulfilled her duty to the country and for the better part of 18 months she enjoyed her ‘second family’ with the little princes Andrew and Edward,” – explains the historian.
Prince Edward
Her Majesty’s youngest son was born in 1964. In the late 1960s, the royal family allowed the BBC to film a documentary about themselves at home, and the British saw their Queen in a very unusual role – “fun moms relaxing with their kids.” The film included footage of Her Majesty gently holding her youngest son’s hand as she walked around the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Queen maintained a particularly close relationship with her fourth child.
A few years ago, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie told Sky News in an interview that they often spent weekends with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Her Majesty was also actively involved in the lives of her grandchildren and adored her daughter-in-law.
“Elizabeth II enjoys life as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother”, Lacy once said. “She clearly enjoys spending time with her family.” Would she treat her children differently if given the chance? As one of her close friends said, at first the queen was afraid of being a mother. No one taught her these duties. But she outgrew it, and the children she brought into the world helped her overcome her fears.
