Inside Princess Charlotte's Relationship With King Charles

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King Charles III may have a difficult job, but the monarch's sweet relationship with his granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, shows that there's more to Charles than his job as the head of the British royal family. Even before the princess was born in 2015, Charles was looking ahead to hopefully welcoming a granddaughter. Several reports even indicated that, after raising two boys, Charles was longing for the chance to dote on a girl, as well.

Naturally, Charles' dream of becoming a grandfather extended well beyond gender preferences. The monarch is also said to harbor hopes of making up for lost opportunities in the past. The truth about King Charles' marriage to Princess Diana is that the king shirked many of his familial responsibilities. Speaking to Hello!, royal expert Robert Jobson explained that Charles "was always extremely busy when Prince William and Prince Harry were growing up, and he would leave the bodyguards to play with them." Now that Charles has grandkids, the monarch has shown strong signs of becoming more present.

Since welcoming Charlotte into the royal fold, Charles has appeared dedicated to his little granddaughter. He played with her on the floor, read her silly books, and even wore jewelry for her sake. When things got tough, Charles even changed his royal schedule to suit Charlotte's. Ultimately, the king's approach to his granddaughter shows that his days as a less-than-present papa have come to an end. Charles seems to have turned a new leaf, and we are here for it.

King Charles III dreamed about having a granddaughter, even before Princess Charlotte was born. During Catherine, Princess of Wales' pregnancy with the future royal, Charles not-so-secretly wished that the baby-to-be would be a girl. As reported by Hello!, the then-Prince of Wales shared this desire with military veteran Eric Jones at an event with the Welsh Guards. Afterward, Jones' daughter, Lynda Bateman, apparently told a group of reporters, "My father introduced me as his daughter, and Prince Charles asked how many daughters he had. My father said, 'One — and that's enough,' and Charles laughed and said, 'And we're hoping for a granddaughter!'"

Once Charlotte was actually born on May 2, 2015, Charles had no issues making his gender preference even more public. He had, after all, gotten the granddaughter he always dreamed of. "I really was hoping for a girl," he told fans and reporters immediately after her arrival, according to The Telegraph. Some royal experts believe that Charles' obsession with having a granddaughter stemmed from the gender disappointment he experienced following Prince Harry's birth back in 1984. As the late Princess Diana told royal biographer Andrew Morton for his book, "Diana: Her True Story," "I knew Harry was going to be a boy because I saw on the scan. Charles always wanted a girl. He wanted two children, and he wanted a girl." In that sense, Charlotte was the girl Charles always wanted.

Because King Charles III was so unbelievably excited about Princess Charlotte's arrival, it's hardly surprising that he loved her from the very beginning. After seeing the infant princess for the first time, Charles could not help but brag to reporters, "She is beautiful. I was hoping for a grand-daughter — someone to look after me when I am very old," per The Telegraph. Although we hope that Princess Charlotte's transformation will lead her to places far beyond Charles' eventual deathbed, it's hard to deny the monarch's instant adoration for his grandchild.

During a visit to a model village in Poundbury, Charles made his feelings all the more evident. He told crowds just how happy he was about Charlotte's arrival. At one point, a local woman by the name of Lucy Simpson presented Charles with a Poundbury Garden flower variety that had been named after the new princess. "A Charlotte Rose? You have managed to do that already? How marvelous," Charles exclaimed, according to the previously cited report. The king proceeded to declare that he would fill his personal gardens with the flower named for his infant granddaughter. "How jolly nice to see it. It will look beautiful in my gardens," he gushed. Given that Charles is famously a hands-on gardener, we have to wonder whether he planted a few Charlotte roses himself!

King Charles III may not be known for his outward displays of affection, but when it comes to his granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, the monarch can be surprisingly hands-on. Indeed, when Charlotte and her brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis, were still toddlers, Charles enjoyed getting on their level. Speaking in the documentary, "Prince, Son, and Heir: Charles at 70," Queen Camilla described the way that Charles interacted with the younger generation: "He will get down on his knees and crawl about with them for hours, you know, making funny noises and laughing." Apparently, this did not only hold true for Charles' biological grandkids but actually for Camilla's, as well. " ... My grandchildren adore him, absolutely adore him," she gushed.

Charlotte, George, and Louis understandably adored him, as well. The trio of children reportedly gave Charles the fun nickname "Grandpa Wales" to express their admiration toward him. Given that the late Queen Elizabeth II grew up referring to her own grandfather, King George V, as "Grandpa England," it seems that the family is carrying on a cute tradition. And, it seems that Charles had more than earned the term of endearment. In a clip of "The Queen's Reading Room" podcast, which was later shared on Instagram, Camilla said that Charles was great at reading to children. "I can't mimic voices for love or money, I'm completely hopeless at it ... But my husband, he does it brilliantly," she shared.

King Charles III has always been one of Princess Charlotte's biggest fans, and some reports indicate that the monarch originally hoped to show his affection in a very formal way. Leading up to his coronation, there were whispers that Charles hoped to style Charlotte the Duchess of Edinburgh. This move would have been especially significant, as it was the title held by Queen Elizabeth II before she was crowned queen. Writing in the book, "Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed," royal expert Robert Jobson claimed, "As the King, Charles plans to honor his granddaughter and the change in hereditary law by granting her the title Duchess of Edinburgh, one of the most senior royal dukedoms in the Royal Family, on her wedding day."

Ultimately, though, this did not come to pass. When Charles became king, he granted the titles of Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh to his younger brother, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones. According to royal watchers, the couple more than deserved the honor. In a poll held by the Express, a shocking 95% of readers said that they supported the king's decision. Edward and Sophie had, after all, quietly supported the monarchy for years — without receiving very much formal recognition. Because Edward and Sophie will hold these titles for the remainder of their lives, it is unlikely that Charlotte will become the Duchess of Edinburgh any time soon. 

Although King Charles III and Princess Charlotte were quite close in the beginning, life eventually got in the way of the grandfather and granddaughter's adorable relationship. As time went on, Charles became king and had to take on a drove of new responsibilities. Charlotte, meanwhile, enrolled in school and began to spend more of her time on homework, sports, and her social life. The distance between Charlotte's former residence at Kensington Palace and Charles' residence at Clarence House did not help things. The king and his granddaughter lived too far apart to just casually visit each other. Because of this, their relationship suffered.

Speaking in the documentary, "Prince, Son, and Heir: Charles at 70," William, Prince of Wales, admitted that Charles did not get to see Charlotte very often. "It's something I'm working more heavily on, put it that way," said William. "I think he does have time for it, but I would like him to have more time with the children." The prince went on to hint that Charles was very popular with his grandkids — but that all his royal responsibilities were getting in the way of family time. William also noted that Charles was approaching an age where bonding with his grandkids was especially important. "So having more time with him at home would be lovely, and being able to play around with the grandchildren," he said. "Because when he's there, he's brilliant. But we need him there as much as possible." 

King Charles III eventually realized that he needed to step up and be the ever-present grandparent that Princess Charlotte and her siblings needed. The monarch famously had a close relationship with his own grandmother — Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother — and knew that he wanted to be a good role model for his own grandchildren, as well. When Charlotte and her siblings moved to Adelaide Cottage at Windsor Castle, Charles committed to spending a few nights per week at his own rooms in Windsor Castle. 

Interestingly, this decision came as a surprise to palace insiders, who knew that the king found his residence at Windsor rather uncomfortable. Speaking to this fact on Hello's "A Right Royal" podcast, royal expert Robert Hardman explained, "He didn't really like Windsor very much. He spent very little time there as Prince of Wales." Apparently, sources close to the king told Hardman that he would likely just give the residence away after his coronation. Instead, however, Charles has decided to prioritize family over comfort — proving his commitment to Charlotte and her brothers. 

In the same interview, Hardman hinted that this newfound geographic proximity has allowed Charles to rebuild his relationship with Charlotte. The royal expert told the podcast hosts that the king adores visiting his grandkids so much that "He's there two or three nights a week." Indeed, Charlotte's presence has changed the way he regards the castle — for the better. 

If King Charles III ever hoped to foster a closer relationship with Princess Charlotte, it appears that his wish has come true. Since he began spending more time at Windsor Castle, Charles has demonstrated clear signs of closeness with Charlotte — a development that has pleased royal fans. In July 2024, both Charles and Charlotte were spotted wearing the same style of braided bracelet. While the king sported a red and white one to the House of Parliament, the princess wore a whole slew of similar bracelets to Wimbledon just three days earlier. It didn't take long for fans to speculate that Charlotte had gifted her grandfather a friendship bracelet, with one Facebook user gushing, "It was lovely to see reports of King Charles and his granddaughter Princess Charlotte wearing matching 'friendship bracelets' this week."

Although Buckingham Palace never confirmed nor denied the origins of Charles' bracelet, it has been reported that Charlotte enjoys making homemade gifts for her grandfather. The king's former butler, Grand Harrold, told the Mirror, that Charlotte and her brothers are particularly adept at making their own greeting cards. "Kate and William love doing arts and crafts with the children, so I expect they will make something extra special," Harrold shared. "We've seen previous examples of them making Mother's Day cards for Kate, so I think homemade cards are a big part of royal birthdays now." Ultimately, it seems, the king is pleased with these presents from the heart.

King Charles III has long demonstrated his commitment to royal duty, but it seems that the monarch has grown even more dedicated since the birth of his granddaughter, Princess Charlotte. In fact, each of King Charles' relationships with all five of his grandkids has inspired him to view his royal responsibilities with a totally different lens. This is especially true when it comes to Charles' desire to save the planet. Although he has been a vocal environmentalist for decades, Charles' feelings toward the cause changed dramatically after he became a grandfather.

In a 2025 appearance on the ITV documentary, "Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge," Charles opened up about this transformation. "To me, it is not fair to leave them something in a far worse state than I found it, if you know what I mean," the king said of the Earth. He later added, "That's why I spent all these years, because I don't want to be accused by my grandchildren of not doing anything about it. That is the key." By keeping Charlotte's future in mind — as well the futures of Prince George and Prince Louise — Charles has found the strength to continue fighting for the environment.

Since taking the throne, Charles has helped negotiate a green energy project involving offshore wind farms. He has committed to using biofuels in his cars. These measures were clearly inspired by the monarch's loving grandchildren.

King Charles III may have been born back in 1948, but he does not want Princess Charlotte to think that he has forgotten what it's like to be a kid. During his own childhood, a young Prince Charles loved visiting the Sandringham Estate — now one of King Charles' many properties across the globe — to frolic in the vast gardens. Back in the day, Charles would sprint through the historic Sandringham Estate maze and soak up the sun on summer days. With these fond memories in mind, he decided to restore the old labyrinth so that Charlotte could enjoy it along with her brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis.

The best part is that this maze seems to have brought out Charles' child-like wonder. Speaking at the opening of a Dumfries House maze in 2016, Charles previously told reporters (via the Daily Mail), "I'm afraid to say I'm rather indulging in my childhood fantasy of mazes. There's nothing more enjoyable than getting lost in a maze." The king's choice to share his passion for mazes with Charlotte and her siblings has not only benefited the young royals but also the monarch himself.

King Charles III is not known for showing affection, but, for Princess Charlotte, he will apparently make an exception. On Easter Sunday 2026, Charles broke character — and protocol — by giving his granddaughter an adorable little poke as he walked by her to enter St. George's Chapel. Charlotte seemed to welcome her grandfather's goofy gesture by smiling sweetly in response.

As many royal watchers know, the British royal family has strict protocols about physical contact. As reported by Time Magazine, royals tend to shy away from any sort of touching — especially in public. Even Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has famously gone on the record saying that the royals are not big on hugging. In that sense, the fact that Charles still reached out and gave his granddaughter a little poke is especially significant — proving the level of fondness between them. Indeed, the moment showed that Charles and Charlotte's bond stands stronger than royal rules about public displays of affection.

Since her grandfather took the British throne, Princess Charlotte has watched King Charles III overcome several challenges. A timeline of King Charles' cancer crisis and treatment shows that the monarch's health has been one of the biggest tragedies of his reign. Although Charles has certainly struggled with the diagnosis in private, he has found happiness in Charlotte and her brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis. As royal expert Robert Jobson told Hello!, "The King will be getting lots of positive energy from the little ones. He needs peace and quiet, but he will have been very happy to see his grandchildren and to spend a bit of time with them."

Sadly, though, all the good times that Charles has enjoyed with Charlotte and her brothers come tinged with bitter regret. As much as the king loves the Wales children, he is reportedly frustrated at the ocean separating him from his Sussex grandkids. Indeed, Charles has barely had the chance to spend time with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet amid rumors the royal family has snubbed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kids. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward in conversation with the Mirror, "He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son's children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom." Charles' cancer diagnosis has made the distance even more heartbreaking.