Prince William is “very aware” of his father’s mistakes and is determined not to repeat them, according to royal author Valentine Low.
The author spoke exclusively to the People's Channel about his new book, Power and the Palace, stating that King Charles once infuriated ministers by publishing an article on genetically modified food in the Daily Mail, prompting the Blair Government to intervene behind the scenes.
Mr Low said the 1999 incident demonstrated the boundaries between a Prince and a monarch, and how ministers were prepared to enforce them when necessary.
He explained: “You say it’s so easy to say things as Prince of Wales. And Charles always used to say he knew the difference between Prince of Wales and being King.
Prince William ‘very aware’ of father’s mistakes and determined not to repeat them
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“But when I was writing the book, basically, it actually dawned on me that no one spells out or defines in this context the difference between Prince and King. And I think Charles has tried to make it up as he went along.”
Mr Low said Charles frequently tested the limits of his position. “He wanted to see what he could get away with, and he used to really annoy ministers. I mean, there was a time when he really annoyed Ken Clarke, and he clashed with the Blair Government.
“But although people were annoyed that he got away with it, there was this one time when, basically, he didn’t get away with it when he wrote an article about GM food for the Daily Mail, and that really rankled with the Blair Government.”
According to Mr Low, ministers chose not to challenge Charles publicly but acted firmly in private.
King Charles and Tony Blair pictured in 2004
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“The interesting thing is, Blair did not try and take him on publicly about this, but behind the scenes, they got Peter Mandelson to call because he had a relationship with Charles, and they got Peter Mandelson to call Charles and say, essentially, back off mate.
“And I think that’s constitutionally really important because it shows the Government defining the lines which a Prince should not cross.”
Mr Low contrasted Charles’s approach as Prince of Wales with that of his son. He said: “William is very different from his father, and I think essentially, William is very aware of what he regards as mistakes his father has made, and he’s not going to repeat them.
“And you can see that in the way that when William launched his homelessness initiative, he went out of his way to clear it with ministers beforehand, to make sure that he wasn’t treading on any political toes.”
Prince William asked Michael Gove how he could help when he launched Homewards
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King Charles and Prince William pictured at Highgrove in 2000 | PACharles’s lobbying on sensitive issues such as the environment, architecture and health was a recurring source of tension with successive Governments during his decades as heir.
His so-called “black spider memos” to ministers later became public, showing his willingness to push policy ideas on subjects ranging from military equipment to herbal medicine.
Mr Low suggested that William’s style as Prince of Wales reflects a deliberate shift away from that approach.
Seeking ministerial clearance before launching projects, he argued, demonstrates that William has learned lessons from his father’s experiences and is keen to avoid political controversy.