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Ever since he was born in 1848, Prince Charles of Edinburgh was groomed to one day be the King of England. That fateful day came on Sept. 8, 2022, when his mother Elizabeth II passed away. In all his years as the future king and then the monarch, he has learned many lessons. But it remains to be seen whether they will do him any good once he is not in England.
Now 75, King Charles III has to set out on a grueling Commonwealth tour, and his goddaughter India Hicks offered some helpful advice.
Hicks appeared on the The Royal Record podcast with GB News journalist Cameron Walker and spoke about what it’s like to be under the microscope as a Royal on a tour. You see, Hicks is the granddaughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who served under King George VI in the 1940s.
Hicks’ mother is Lady Pamela Hicks, a 95-year-old woman who was a lady-in-waiting to the late Queen. The pair spent “many, many months” together on tours that mirror the King’s upcoming trip to Australia and Samoa.
The journalist first asked Hicks if her mother would have any salient advice for King Charles III as he prepares for his journey. In true reserved British royal fashion, Hicks explained that the King was “very versed” in trips of this nature and that “he waited a long time for this job” and is “very practiced at it.”
Hicks doesn’t really think there’s much her “mum” could tell Charles, especially since he’s had “a lot of apprenticeship years.” The biggest difference? Queen Elizabeth II was “incredibly young” when she went on those grueling tours, somewhere in her early 20s. Charles is, of course, in his mid-70s and his wife Camilla is two years older at 77.
This will be the King’s first huge trip since he was coronated and since his cancer diagnosis announcement in February. If there is one thing she could share, Hicks said Charles should be mindful of how “utterly exhausting” those trips can be, and the toll they take on a person not just physically but emotionally as well.
“You are on show all the time. Your every move is judged and analysed. Your every smile, your every expression, the every word that comes out of your mouth.”
She warned the monarch to be on his guard as the things he does will probably be taken apart and manipulated by everyone around him. She said there’s probably nothing more “exhausting” than having to deal with that intense level of scrutiny, “particularly for a man who’s working very hard.”
Regardless, King Charles III has been preparing for this role his whole life, so it’s not like he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into and as for criticisms, he has been battling that his entire life — whether it is courtesy of his controversial actions (his affair with Camilla while he was married to Princess Diana) or the intense focus paparazzi reserves for the Royal family.
The King’s “Autumn Tour” will run from October 18 through the 26th.