Princess Diana‘s brother Charles Spencer has spoken about what it was like to have a privileged upbringing – and how his nephews Princes William and Harry have turned out to be the kind, compassionate and ambitious adults that they are.
Speaking to Oprah in a televised interview, Charles, 50, discussed the challenge of raising a royal child, such as his nephews William and Harry.
“We want them to find their own way,” he said. “you don’t want to disable them by giving them too much.”
He opened up about his and Diana’s background, saying: “My mother always knew what was coming my way and she said ‘You have to work, you’ll never be happy if you don’t work.’
he went on to say “My father didn’t work but I don’t blame him for that, because it would have been very odd if he had [because of the attitude of the time]. If he had been going into the City of London as a banker or something, people might have thought, ‘Well, has he fallen on hard times?’ It was a face-saving thing.”
Charles’ words come at a particularly fitting time as William, 32, prepares to welcome his second royal baby with his wife the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton.
William and Kate have been hailed as hands-on, modern parents, who may have a nanny for their firstborn Prince George, but they don’t rely on her completely. The normalcy with which the couple are trying to raise George is seen as a testament to the late Princess Diana’s values.
Like his uncle Charles Spencer, William can see the importance of having a steady job. The Duke has just started training to become a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, a full-time role he will begin in the summer.
Children need to feel a purpose…if they get things too easy then it is harder to face life as an independent adult.
