Escaping Diana's Shadow

Once the fairytale narrative was transformed by the arrival of the wicked witch, in the form of mistress Camilla Parker Bowles, the hapless Prince was further marginalized, all his good works, thoughtful speeches and passionate crusading a slender redoubt against the tsunami of public hostility that greeted revelations about the furtive betrayal of an adored princess.

His admission of adultery in a TV documentary, their divorce in 1995 and Diana’s tragic death in August 1997 merely solidified those sentiments. Diana’s own belief that Charles would never become king and that her main role was grooming Prince William for his destiny merely underscored the unique irrelevance of the current Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles poses for his official birthday portrait.

After her death, the war of the Wales was continued by proxy, her sons William and Harry deemed to carry the banner for the doomed Princess and public opinion polls at the time indicated majority approval for the crown to go directly to William. Any perceived insult to Diana’s memory was defined what ‘the boys’ might think or feel.

But ‘the boys’ have become men, Prince Harry has served in Afghanistan for example, Diana’s sons too escaping from her long shadow. At a dinner at Buckingham Palace to celebrate their fathers’ birthday the two Princes paid tribute to him as ‘an inspiration to us and so many others.’ The ghost of Diana did not haunt the proceedings as she has for so many years.

Of course the female shadow he will never escape is that of his mother, the Queen. The national conversation about whether she should abdicate in her son’s favour seems resolved into an acceptance that the 82-year-old sovereign should stay in post for life.

That debate settled, attention has focused not so much on what Prince Charles might do when he becomes king but what he has achieved as the heir in waiting. So for the first time in his life, Prince Charles is being assessed for who he is rather than with whom he is associated. The birthday focus has been on his charity work, especially young people, his numerous political forays, for example on Tibet, opposition to GM crops and modern architecture and his championing of once obscure causes like climate change, organic food and religious tolerance.

No wonder he looks so relaxed and nonchalant in the uniform of his military regiment, the Welsh Guards, which he wore for his official birthday portrait. At last the spotlight is just on him.

Andrew Morton is the author of Diana, Her True Story.