King Charles is said to be spending ‘much more time’ with his grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis since his son Prince William opened up about his wish for him to be more present.
Balancing work and family life can feel like an uphill battle, with one or the other often being prioritised due to the high average cost of childcare and general cost of raising a child. And even for those who seem to have it all like the Royal Family, walking the delicate line is still difficult.
This fact became apparent to the public when, in 2018, Prince William spoke candidly about his father's busy work schedule and how it keeps him from spending time with his grandkids. While the Prince's comment came off as quite matter-of-fact and didn't appear to be a dig at his father, the monarch has since reportedly made sure to rectify his mistake and has been trying to spend 'more time' with William's three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
In the 2018 documentary Prince Charles at 70, when William was asked about if King Charles has 'time to be a grandfather,' the now Prince of Wales replied, "It's something I'm working more heavily on, put it that way. I think he does have time for it, but I would like him to have more time with the children."
He added that one of the main reasons he wishes his dad could spend more time with his children, who sit second, third and fourth in the royal line of succession, is due to his age and the fact that he knows that, one day, the youngsters won't be able to see him anymore.
He said, "Now he's reached his 70th year it's a perfect time to consolidate a little bit because, as most families would do, you are worried about having them around and making sure their health's OK – and he's the fittest man I know but, equally, I want him to be fit until he's 95.
"So having more time with him at home would be lovely, and being able to play around with the grandchildren. Because when he's there, he's brilliant. But we need him there as much as possible."
In response to his son's candid admission, King Charles has since been making sure to carve out time for his grandkids amid all the engagements that come with his role as head of The Firm.
An inside source told GB News, "Charles wants to spend more time with his grandchildren. There's so much love there. Before, they were miles away from the Waleses but geographically they are now much closer so he can spend more time with them, and he's very glad [of it]."
And it's not just William's three young children who are benefiting from a close relationship with their grandfather. It was recently reported that the King has been in contact with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with Meghan sending him ‘text updates’ about the kids.
