Pay Up, Dad! William Will Charge Charles to Stay in Cottage

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William to charge Charles to stay in Welsh property

For the last few months, the story has been about King Charles wanting Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge in Windsor—a move now at least temporarily on hold as Sarah Ferguson recuperates from breast cancer surgery.

Now, the landlord boot is on the other foot, as it is Charles being asked to fully move out from—and expect to be charged if he wants to stay in—his once-dream vacation retreat. Prince William, the new Prince of Wales, will charge his father Charles, the old Prince of Wales, to stay in the latter’s Welsh cottage—and William has asked Charles to move all his belongings out of the property. This has “miffed” the king, the Mail on Sunday reports.

Charles bought the property, Llwynywermod, for £1.2m ($1.6m) in 2007 through the Duchy of Cornwall, which William took over after Queen Elizabeth’s death. An “insider” told the Mail that Charles was “disappointed” that William planned to rent the property out from next September. The three-bedroom property comes with a barn, and is set in 192 acres.

A royal source told the Mail: “The King was quite miffed but that was the deal. It means he can continue to stay there but he will pay rent to the Duchy and the rest of the time it will be rented out. The King has agreed to pay for the topiary upkeep as he doesn't want to see all the good work in the grounds go to waste.”

William has already indicated he wants to build public housing on the Duchy of Cornwall estate.

Big day out

The Waleses will be front and centre of national attention today, Sunday, as they attend the men’s final of the Wimbledon tennis championship in London. Kate, William, George and Charlotte (no Louis!) all arrived at the hallowed grounds shortly after 12 noon local time to watch Novak Djokovic take on Carlos Alcaraz. Kate was wearing Roland Mouret on arrival.

Yesterday, Saturday, Kate, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, appeared to wipe away tears at the end of the women’s final which saw Ons Jabeur, lose to Markéta Vondroušová. Kate consoled the loser, who had become the favorite of the crowd before congratulating the winner.

Prince George will not have to serve in military

On Saturday he turns 10, and this weekend the Mail on Sunday reports that Prince George, Prince William and Kate's eldest son and second in line to the throne, will not have to serve in the military—in a major break from royal tradition.

As the Mail reports, King Charles is Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s forces—and George’s father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandmother and great-grandfather all served with the military.

A long-time friend of George’s father, Prince William, told the Mail on Sunday: “In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut, for example, if that’s what he wants, and then becoming king later. The rules are different now, he wouldn’t necessarily have to follow the old formula of going into the military and then Royal life. So, could Charlotte qualify as a doctor, for example? I don’t see why not. It’s less of a fishbowl now than when William and Harry were growing up.”

George was with his family at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday. The Mail said he was given the task of partially raising the ramp on a huge C-17 transporter aircraft, “and was delighted to sit in the cockpit and ‘flick some switches.’”

Charles will ‘continue to use his influence’

Friends and associates of King Charles have told The Daily Beast that they believe he will continue to “use his influence” when it comes to “big issues” he believes to be important, such as climate change and environmental responsibility, despite the centuries-long prohibition on British monarchs involving themselves in political matters (writes Tom Sykes).

One friend of the king, a landowner who initially met him through a shared interest in organic farming, told The Daily Beast: “He has a gesture that he makes when he feels he can’t answer a question directly; he crosses his arms as if he is in handcuffs. He is very aware that there are limits on what he can say. But a lot of his most passionate beliefs, which were once dismissed as radical, fringe stuff are now mainstream; very few people these days seriously dispute, for example, that the climate is changing. On big issues like the environment he has been proved right—and far ahead of his time. He will continue to use his influence, I am sure.”

A vivid example of Charles’ determination to continue to use his “influence” was made this week, when, ahead of the meeting of Charles and President Joe Biden this week, Buckingham Palace was unusually eager to brief the world’s media on what the elderly pair of world leaders would be talking about when they gathered for a cup of tea in Windsor Castle’s Oak Room; top of the agenda would be the subject of the climate.

The move was seen by many as a telling insight into how Charles intends to continue quietly lobbying for causes close to his heart such as environmental responsibility, despite appearing to vow, when he acceded to the throne, that he would step back from such interventions, which have previously been cast as “meddling” by his many critics.

In a televised speech after his mother died, Charles said:“My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”

Charles’ office is sensitive to allegations that Charles is engaging in politics. His aides insist that the king acts only and always on the advice of the government, that he is not political and that he is behaving no differently in this regard to his late mother.

Elizabeth was herself a cheerleader for conservation, telling, for example, the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021 that “the impact on the environment of human progress” was “a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.”

She added: “It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them.”

Yet, the decision to brief the media that Charles and Biden would be discussing the climate in their private conversation certainly felt like a marked change in tone from Elizabeth’s reign. It has been much remarked on in the British media this week. The queen would categorically not have had her aides brief the media before a meeting with the most powerful single politician in the world that they would be discussing the climate.

Christopher Andersen, the New York Times best-selling author of a new biography of Charles, told The Daily Beast: “The king’s mother was one of the best-informed people on the planet when it came to the big issues. Through her weekly meetings with Prime Ministers and of course those red boxes of state crammed with briefing papers and diplomatic cables, Queen Elizabeth didn’t drop a stitch when it came to keeping on top of world events. So in that sense the King is just doing his job.

“As for climate change, the Queen took a very strong stand during the UN summit on climate change in October 2021, urging world leaders to combat global warming. “Now is the time for action” were her precise words. Everyone knows how King Charles feels about environmental issues. It would seem disingenuous of him not to be at least as outspoken as his mother was on this particular topic.

“I think Charles has been burned enough times to know that he has to be careful when it comes to taking public stands on major issues. He is aware that his past reputation as the “Meddlesome Prince” means critics of the monarchy will be waiting for him to slip up. It’s quite the high-wire act for any monarch, but especially for Charles III.

A palace source told The Royalist: “His Majesty and the President discussed a wide variety of issues of mutual interest and concern—not just climate—as has been the case for every Sovereign and President. There was a climate finance mobilization reception at Windsor Castle that formed part of the visit, arranged on the advice of His Majesty’s Government, but that was not a policy issue/discussion.”

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Out and about

Meghan Markle has been photographed shopping at a Montecito farmer’s market, accompanied by her pet beagle, reportedly flouting a rule that the event is dog-free.

In photographs, published by the Daily Mail, Meghan, who was looking casual in a white collared shirt, black flip-flops and sunglasses was seen walking the dogs and doing her shopping sampling honey and buying some flowers. She was accompanied by a burly bodyguard. Meghan and Harry were seen attending a July 4th parade with their children earlier this month. However, sightings of the couple are still relatively rare as they seek to protect their family’s privacy in California.

Middleton family fun

The Daily Mail profiles Kate Middleton’s parents, Michael and Carole, which digs into their close bond with Kate and William’s children, especially Prince George.

The paper describes how after George was born, the couple retreated to Kate’s parents’ house, and that it was Michael who proposed that he take a photo of the new royal baby for circulation to the world’s media, thereby cutting down on stress and stranger anxiety for the new parents.

This has come to be a modus operandi for Will and Kate, who often now take their own photographs of their children for landmark events such as birthdays rather than inviting photographers in.

The paper quotes a source as saying that the couple are trying to make life as “normal” as they can for their children, adding this is in no small part down to the influence of the stolidly middle-class grandparents.

Michael has reportedly developed an amusing habit of dressing up in fancy dress on Christmas Eve, one year appearing in an inflatable sumo outfit, earning him the nickname ‘Sumo.’

As for George himself, he apparently is learning the electric guitar and has a preference from the tunes of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. An aide is quoted as saying that Kate and William decided they would introduce him to his public role “early so that it wouldn’t be a shock to the system when one day he had to step out onto the world stage. It seems to have paid off.”

Prince William scoots off

Prince William, previously a fan of motorbikes, has a new eco-friendly electric scooter which he uses to zip around the Windsor Castle estate, the Sun reports. It goes at 10mph, and while illegal to use on public roads, you can use them on private estates in the U.K.

A source told the paper: “It just makes sense. He whizzes up to the castle when he needs to see the king. “It’s a two or three-mile round trip from his family home at ­Adelaide Cottage to Windsor Castle, so it’s easier by scooter than car or walking.”

This week in royal history

Tomorrow is a packed day in royal history. On July 17, 1917, the House of Windsor was established by royal proclamation. It’s also Queen Camilla’s 76th birthday; she was born on July 17, 1947. And on July 17, 2020, Princess Beatrice, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s elder daughter, married husband Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi—so happy third anniversary to them.

And on Saturday July 22, a big royal birthday: Prince George turns 10.

Unanswered questions

Will William and Charles really fall out over a holiday cottage? Where will Charles’ roving political eye go next, and will he become more vocal? How will the royals mark Prince George’s 10th birthday?