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Did Prince Charles want to QUIT royal family? Queen Mother reportedly convinced him not to leave for Italy

'He was really struggling with the press, he was very unpopular at that point,' said royal expert, and author Gareth Russell about Prince Charles
PUBLISHED JUL 29, 2022
Prince Charles (R) wanted to move to Italy, back in the '90s but the Queen Mother (L) allegedly stopped him from making the decision (Photo: Michael Stroud/Express/Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Prince Charles (R) wanted to move to Italy, back in the '90s but the Queen Mother (L) allegedly stopped him from making the decision (Photo: Michael Stroud/Express/Jane Barlow-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

According to a royal expert, Prince Charles was so fed up in the '90s that he could not take the burden of being a member of the royal family and just wanted to move far away. The expert explains that people nowadays tend to forget that the media was heavily involved in their lives back in the days, which ought to get into anybody's head. Moreover, his marriage to Princess Diana ended, which was content for the media but a struggle for the pair.

Speaking to Christina Garibaldi, the host of Royally Us, royal expert, and author Gareth Russell touched on the story which involved Prince Charles leaving the royal family behind. When asked about these plans by Garibaldi, Russell said, "That was one of the things I heard from three different people. This was really in the 1990s, at the height or depth of tabloid intrusion into his life, and Diana's. I think he (Prince Charles) was, you know, he felt very, he was very angry and it was getting to the stage where it had really affected his life, his estranged wife's life, and their children's lives." 

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Russell explained, "People forget how remorseless media intrusion to them was in the 1900s. He had come up with this idea, allegedly, that he would spend six months of the year living in Tuscany in Northern Italy." Prince Charles was dealing with the overwhelming media pressure especially when his marriage to Princess Diana ended in divorce in 1996. They were separated for 4 years before finally going their separate ways. Prime Minister John Major announced their separation in 1992 stating, "This decision has been reached amicably and they will both continue to participate fully in the upbringing of their children”. What stopped Prince Charles from going to Italy?

Princess Diana And Prince Charles watch an official event during their first royal Australian tour 1983 IN Newcastle, Austrlia.
Princess Diana And Prince Charles watch an official event during their first royal Australian tour in 1983 in Newcastle, Australia (Photo by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images) 

Queen Mother reversed Prince Charles' decision

Speaking on Royally Us, Russell managed to tell us just how and what influenced Prince Charles enough to not make this drastic decision. He revealed that it was the Queen Mother who stopped the Prince in his tracks, "She [the Queen Mother] decided to talk to Charles over dinner about Edward [VIII] and how she felt one of his big mistakes has been going to live abroad." Speaking of Edward VIII, Russell said, "[He] has been going to live in France and Austria after he abdicated. It was very clear what point she [the Queen Mother] was trying to make without specifically saying it." 

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900 - 2002), waves to the crowd who have gathered outside Clarence House, her London home, to wish her a happy 78th birthday, UK, 4th August 1978. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)
The Queen Mother (1900 - 2002), waves to the crowd who have gathered outside Clarence House, her London home, to wish her a happy 78th birthday, UK, 4th August 1978 (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

Russell explained that after this not-so-direct conversation with Queen Mother, Prince Charles didn't really talk about the plan at all. He said, "We don't hear much about Tuscany after that. So she was pretty instrumental." Speaking to Kinsey Schofield, on a past episode of the To Di For Daily podcast, Russell said, "She [the Queen Mother] did, at one point, get a whisper that Prince Charles was considering going to live in Italy in the early Nineties. He was really struggling with the press. He was very unpopular at that point. And the way she [the Queen Mother] phrased it, it became very clear to Charles that she was telling him: ‘Do not leave this country.'" Prince Charles, being the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth, is now preparing for his new role as king due to the Queen's mobility issues.

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