Prince Charles is the first to admit he was never truly embraced by the British public.
A dour boy who complained of being under-loved by “cold and distant” parents, he grew into a solemn, introverted young man who felt bullied into taking the “right kind of wife” by his family, the media and his subjects.
When he eventually did by marrying Lady Diana Spencer, she was adored, while he was ignored.
After it was revealed that his marriage to the princess was over amid allegations of a long-running affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, he became public enemy number one, with cries echoing from across the Commonwealth that he didn’t deserve to be king.
In recent years, after marrying Camilla, 73, and raising his sons into well-liked young men, the first in line to the throne enjoyed a slight resurgence in popularity.
However, in a recent poll, the Prince of Wales is only popular with 47 per cent of Britons, compared to his mother’s 78 per cent and Prince William’s 73 per cent. Charles’ wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, is liked by just 34 per cent of the population.
Charles’ numbers have plummeted in the past month, thanks to Netflix series The Crown, which has been watched by more viewers than William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton.
The current season portrays him as emotionally abusive toward his now-deceased ex-wife.
The wave of backlash against the 72-year-old has been so intense that Charles and Camilla have been forced to disable comments on their official Clarence House Instagram account, and there have been renewed cries for him to step aside as future monarch.
Charles’ longtime love affair with Camilla has cast a dark shadow on the monarchy.
(Getty)It’s believed the pair have been told to avoid Buckingham Palace and communication with the public, remaining at their home in Highgrove until things die down.
“Charles experienced extreme hate when his affair with Camilla was outed, and when Diana was killed – but it was never as bad as this,” says a source.
“The public is reliving those moments now – though obviously in a dramatised way – only this time everyone has a social media account through which to spout their vitriol. Clarence House is scrambling to contain it, but not many of his PR flunkies truly believe his reputation can recover from this.”
Sources tell Woman’s Day that the Queen is so concerned by the public’s response that she is considering heeding renewed cries for him to step down.”
“For the Queen, the monarchy comes above all else – even her own son,” says an insider.
The couple have taken a break from social media.
(Instagram)“At the rate things are going with everyone turning on Charles, Prince Andrew in hot water for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Harry leaving the family, she feels she can really only trust leaving her empire in Prince William’s hands. He and Catherine have proved themselves to be a steady ship time and time again.”
“At 94, the Queen should be enjoying her twilight years. Instead, the spectre of her son’s failed marriage is back to bite them all,” says the source.
“It’s going to be huge if one of her final acts is to cast Charles and Camilla aside and declare that the crown will go to William.”
