It's time we learned to cherish and stop chastising Prince Charles

If I have one enduring memory of the Prince of Wales during my 12-year tenure at Buckingham Palace, it’s of the time he did a double-act with Phil Collins. It was during a holiday camp in Caister, Norfolk, in aid of The Prince’s Trust – an annual event that the Prince was always keen to attend - that he suddenly sat down at Collins’ drum kit and began bashing away.

The kids surrounded him, applauding and cheering. Never for a moment did they expect that a future King would behave like that, or that he should even want to help them. Yet that was exactly what he did, and has done for the entirety of his life. And that is typical of Charles. 

So it was with some displeasure that I read news yesterday that the Prince’s popularity has supposedly nosedived, according to a poll carried out by YouGov. Its findings were as stark as they were misleading.

Just a third of Britons believe that the Prince of Wales has been beneficial to the monarchy, down from nearly two-thirds four years ago; one in four think he has had a negative impact on the Royal Family, a significant rise since 2013.

When he is made King, only 14 per cent believe the Duchess of Cornwall should become Queen; a third think she should have no title at all. 

The reason for such a dire showing, to me, is clear – and no reflection upon the Prince or his wife. Next week marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. It will be, of course, a highly emotive occasion, and there has been a plethora of documentaries, as is to be expected, in commemoration of the late princess’s life and untimely passing.

But if YouGov were to ask the same questions in, say, eight months time, I suspect they would get very different answers. Peaks and troughs in public feeling have been part and parcel of the monarchy for centuries. Both Charles and the Queen know this.

What’s more, as has been proved time multiple times, polls are frequently misleading. Is an opinion poll truly representative of population of more than 65 million? I think not.

Dickie Arbiter

But the Charles I know is far too old and wise to let any of this knock his confidence. He will, as he has done in the past, dust himself off and continue to serve his country to the fullest of his abilities.

For years now, Prince Charles has been presented as the bad boy of the Royal Family: having an affair, portrayed as never really having loved Diana and singled out to blame for the disintegration of their marriage. Yet in my experience, they absolutely adored each other, and embarked on married life in 1981 with the highest of intentions.

Three days before they married, I had tea with Charles and Diana at Buckingham Palace. Back then, I was a radio reporter for Independent Radio News and a presenter for LBC, and they were all over each other like a rash, holding hands, giggling and clearly utterly besotted.

Equally, once returned from honeymoon and together during public engagements, Charles was tactile and would think nothing of squeezing her bottom, something I noticed more than once. You can’t fake that sort of affection.

And yet, people change, pressures develop within marriages and dynamics shift. In this, the royal couple were no different to any of us – except they were under constant public scrutiny, which made it even harder to adapt and withstand.

To chastise the Prince unendingly for his relationship with Camilla is deeply unfair. If anything, he will be a modern King, with a deeper trove of life experience, because of it.

Equally, when judging the heir to the British throne, one might be better of considering his conduct in the face of his marriage breakdown. As in many things, his approach to the public interest in their relationship was different to that of Diana’s.

Following publication of Andrew Morton’s 1992 book, Diana: Her True Story, she appeared in a one-off BBC Panorama, discussing her marriage with Martin Bashir. For his part, Charles has spoken publicly just once about such matters, in 1994, to confirm what had long been suspected by the public – that it was over.

A consummate gentleman, he was remarkably dignified in the face of his marriage breakdown – a cool that he has maintained ever since. That he was never drawn into “he said, she said” scenarios speaks volumes. It would be unneccessary and hurtful to others to have done so. 

While Diana was widely praised for the way she raised her sons, Prince William and Harry, Charles was, and still is, an extremely good father. 

I was at the palace on the day Diana died, when the boys were at Balmoral with their father, the Queen and Prince Philip. In the days that followed, the family was castigated for not returning to London but, in truth, it showed excellent parenting: Prince Charles’s primary concern was for his sons. What he did was absolutely right, returning after five days to see the floral tributes all together, holding his sons’ hands.

From their father, the princes have gained an appreciation of the environment and countryside. The latter is evident in Prince William’s conservation work; two years ago, he was ranked in a BBC list as Britain’s fifth most influential conservationist, and he has long fought against illegal wildlife trade in Africa.

Dickie Arbiter

Like their father before them, both William and Harry have chosen to help young people and campaign for improved mental health awareness and services. Their compassion stems just as much from Charles as Diana. 

I only wish that those who are quick to do down the Prince in opinion polls could have been with me during a royal hospice visit in the West Country in the early nineties. I went twice – once with Charles, and once with Diana. Both approached their visits very differently, yet were no less successful for it.

Diana sat on patients’ beds and held hands, whereas the Prince of Wales was just as sympathetic, using his voice and demeanour alone to convey his compassion and gratitude. Both royals left the room wreathed in smiles.

Charles doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve – he is from a different generation, brought up to keep certain feelings private – but, have no doubt, his sense of humour is clear.

The latter was seen most recently when he and the Duchess of Cornwall were in Canada and dissolved into a fit of giggles during a traditional performance of Inuit throat singing. Camilla also let slip recently that he’s a brilliant mimic and relishes doing all the voices from Harry Potter while reading to her grandchildren. Certainly, there is more to him than meets the eye.

In June, he visited survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire, gripping their hands and unselfconsciously delivering hugs. He has never shied away from his public.

Have no doubt: Charles will be a great king. See it in his work, which has always been of paramount importance to him, whether dealing with issues surrounding the environment, architecture, health or young people. I witnessed crowds turn out in their droves to see him.

When I first met Charles, as a reporter in the late Seventies, I was struck by what an excellent communicator he was. Our interview took place at Buckingham Palace, where an innovative environmentally friendly bottle bank was to be installed, something he’d championed. He was passionate and determined, a drive that has been in evidence ever since. 

Always well-informed, the Prince of Wales is a campaigner at heart, and has long been a catalyst for change. Criticised for the “spidery” letters he has sent to ministers, he always has the public interest at heart, asking the questions we want answered.

When he ascends to the throne, he will be the best prepared monarch we’ve ever had, and probably ever will have. Charles has been in training for 60-odd years, and the Queen has been grooming him for his very public role ever since he left the Navy in 1976. It is time we learned to cherish him. 

Dickie Arbiter is a former press secretary to the Queen.

On Duty With The Queen, by Dickie Arbiter (Bonnier Books) is available for £8.99 plus p&p, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk

As told to India Sturgis