King Charles’ most candid comments came in 2012, when he laid out his worst fears for the monarchy’s future. He presented these concerns throughout an invitation to Richard Heaton at Clarence House. The talk opened with a discussion of King Charles’ charitable work. Simultaneously, he communicated his concerns regarding the potential impacts of the Succession to the Crown Bill, as Prince William and Princess Kate were preparing to take their first child into the world.
In fact King Charles even personally wondered about the consequences of their firstborn being a daughter. He raised critical questions regarding the effects a granddaughter marrying a Catholic could have on the royal family’s role as head of the Church of England. Further, he was concerned about how such a marriage would affect the monarch’s hereditary peers.
It was this very meeting that created tension between King Charles and Heaton. Then, Heaton was the Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office. Heaton was apparently so offended by King Charles’ questions that he made his disgust apparent. He believed it was the prerogative of Whitehall to deal with matters like this, not Buckingham Palace.
The late Queen Elizabeth II had her own qualms about King Charles’ involvement in public political debate. She thought his dabblings on some subjects was “not ultimately prudent” and objected to his political forays. Insiders claim that Queen Elizabeth felt it was important for the monarchy to remain out of political arguments. She cautioned that taking action might polarize public sentiment.
“As soon as you engage in politics, you have an opinion and you pick a side — you cause a part of the population who disagree to take a partial view of you.” – A source
After King Charles took the throne in 2022, he promised to limit his influence on politics even further. In his previous meeting with Heaton, he expressed some displeasure at the royal family’s use of the name Windsor. At best, his concerns would be rectified only with the birth of a future granddaughter who becomes monarch opting to take her husband’s surname.
The late Queen Elizabeth’s private secretary, Christopher Geidt, later assisted in addressing King Charles’ concerns, helping to navigate the complexities of royal family dynamics and public perception.
Though resource conflict made this issue charged, King Charles managed to keep a friendly working relationship with Heaton. Following their first session together, he had invited Heaton to a trip to a pottery. He pulled him aside for private conversations on board the royal train, taking apparent pains to repair any breaches to their relationship from their first, contentious exchange.
