Prince Charles 70th birthday: Why sons William and Harry are ‘guarded’ about relationship

Prince William, 36, and Prince Harry’s strong relationship with their dad Prince Charles, 70, has always been evident.

In a recent BBC documentary to mark Prince Charles70th birthday, the brothers happily spoke about their father and expressed how proud they are of the work he has done.

And although they sometimes give very rare insights into royal family life, Harry, 34, and William are said to be somewhat protective of their relationship with their dad.

In Yahoo’s online series The Royal Box, producer Nick Bullen, who has worked with the royals on a number of documentaries, gave his expert opinion on the boys’ bond with Charles and claimed they’re “guarded” about their relationship because of the amount of press attention on their late mother, Princess Diana.

He said: “So much press has been about the boys and Diana that they’re quite guarded about their time with their dad.”

Nick also explained how important it is for the royals to share a glimpse of their lives behind closed doors.

Speaking about a previous documentary starring the Princes, Nick said: “They properly relaxed, they said things they’d never said before about their father. People suddenly thought, ‘these boys have got a great relationship with their dad’.

“The more they can allow people that little glimpse of the real relationship, the better it is for them ultimately.”

And the Princes did just that during the BBC’s Prince, Son and Heir documentary to celebrate Charles’ 70th birthday.

At the start of the programme Prince Harry praised his dad, saying: “He was one of the first people in the family to make the most of his position.”

He also spoke about when his father stepped in to walk wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, down the aisle during their royal wedding in May.

The Duke of Sussex revealed: “I asked him to and he immediately knew it was coming. For him that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and show his support. And he’s our father so of course he’s going to be there for us.”

Although the Princes have recently happily spoken about their father to celebrate his 70th birthday, an unearthed clip has proved their teenage years were just like any other adolescent.

In a video again shared on Yahoo’s Royal Box series, a clip of William and Harry with their dad Prince Charles showed them briefly posing for photographers ahead of hitting the slopes during a skiing trip.

As the camera panned to Prince Charles’ teenage sons, Harry appeared to be growing impatient with the media attention.

Meghan Markle’s now-husband was seen shouting to his dad: “Oi!” before walking away from the photocall, seemingly trying to get his dad to hurry along.

Prince Charles didn’t seem to be at all fazed by the cheeky remark, however.

He and eldest son William were then seen following Harry as he walked off, with the Duke of Cambridge posing for one more photo.

The Princes have always has a close bond with their father and as a result Charles now has a strong relationship with his grandchildren Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and Prince Louis, seven months.

In a photo released to celebrate the Duke of Wales’ 70th birthday, the future monarch can be seen holding his eldest grandson George on his knee.