The new BBC documentary about Prince Charles [1] (which marks his 70th birthday) might have been called Prince, Son and Heir [2], but one of the biggest highlights of the whole show was hearing all about the future king in one of his favourite roles: as a doting grandfather. We got to see the prince in full-on grandpa action in a brand-new photo of him with Kate and Prince Louis [3], but it was the way his family spoke about his love for his grandchildren that proved to be really touching.
Prince William [4] talked about how much Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis love spending time with Charles, while Prince Harry [5] sees his dad's relationship with his grandchildren as crucial to his future life, saying he wants his dad to take energy from the love of all those around him as he takes on even more royal responsibilities.
From William's high praise for Charles as a grandfather to the future king's own hopes for the next generation, this new documentary underlined what was crystal clear already: the Prince of Wales loves being a grandfather, and he doesn't care who knows it.
Charles Is a ''Brilliant Grandfather''
Prince William couldn't hide his happiness as he spoke about the way his Dad gets on with George, Charlotte, and Louis. There was a grin on the Duke of Cambridge's face as he described Charles as "brilliant" when he is with his grandchildren. And Camilla was proud as punch as she revealed how welcome her husband has made her own grandchildren feel, saying they adore him.
Charles's Grandkids Want Even More Time With Him
We were left in no doubt about how much Charles's grandkids love him when William told the programme that the Prince of Wales's family wanted to spend even more time with him.
"He does have time for it, but I would like him to have more time with the children", said William, before adding "having more time with him at home would be lovely and be able to play around with the grandchildren . . . we need him there as much as possible."
George, Charlotte, and Louis clearly can't get enough of their grandpapa.
George and Charlotte Have the Sweetest Name For Charles
One of the highlights of the new programme was that super sweet snap of Prince Louis with his granddad. But while the fifth in line to the throne is still at the stage of saying hello by grabbing grandpa's fingers, his big brother and sister are already calling Charles a very special name indeed. Prince George and Princess Charlotte call him "Grandpa Wales" which as well as being super sweet is also filled with family meaning. The Queen used to call her grandfather, King George V, Grandpa England. It's enough to bring a tear to even the most royal eye.
Presents For George, Charlotte, and Louis
Even when he was in the middle of a major royal engagement on the other side of the world, Charles had his grandchildren on his mind. As he toured a market in Vanuatu, the Prince of Wales spotted some wooden pigs which he thought would make ideal presents for Prince George and Princess Charlotte and quickly set about negotiating to buy them. But then we're used to seeing Charles accepting all kinds of gifts for the Cambridge children while out and about — from teddies to t-shirts, he always looks proud as can be when well-wishers remember his grandchildren.
Charles Is a Totally Goofy Grandpapa
The new programme on Charles gave us a real insight into how he spends his time with his grandchildren, and it seems when he's around, things are always fun. Camilla revealed that the prince loves playing with George, Charlotte, and Louis, adding "he will get down on his knees and crawl about with them for hours . . . making funny noises and laughing."
We also found out that Charles is a master of reading Harry Potter [6] stories to the next generation, even doing silly voices to help them enjoy the tales even more.
Charles Is Helping His Grandchildren Learn the Royal Ropes
We mostly get to see Charles with his grandchildren at big royal events like Trooping the Colour, and their future lives as leading members of the House of Windsor is something he takes very seriously indeed. He spoke a lot about the role of Prince of Wales, a title that will one day pass to William and then George, and he's always been keen to help his grandchildren learn the royal ropes as easily and happily as possible.
The Cambridge and Sussex Babies Are Always on Charles's Mind
There was high praise throughout the show for the prince's work in reducing plastic waste, and it's clear that his interest in the environment has only gotten deeper since he became a grandfather. Just days before the programme aired, Prince Charles spoke of his concerns about the world his grandchildren will grow up in while on tour in Ghana, saying "I am about to have another grandchild . . . it does seem to me insanity if we are going to bequeath this completely polluted, damaged, and destroyed world to them."
During the programme we also saw an arboretum that Charles planted for George soon after his birth, and the prince has spoken before about getting his grandchildren interested in gardening and the environment. Sharing his keenest interests with them shows just what a sweet grandfather Charles really is.
Prince Harry Can't Wait to See Charles With a New Grandchild
OK, Prince Harry, we see what you did there. As the special birthday documentary came to an end, the Duke of Sussex couldn't keep a grin off his face as he mentioned "more grandchildren to come." The interview was recorded before Harry and Meghan shared their baby news, but the daddy-to-be clearly already knew he's be adding to Charles's growing brood of grandchildren, and couldn't have looked prouder about it. Charles hasn't been able to contain his excitement about the new royal arrival since we all found out that Meghan is pregnant. He told reporters he had raised a toast to the news "several times." We can't wait to see Charles with his latest grandchild next Spring.