Now a young adult, Charles spends most of the season trying to find his place and his voice — and dealing with the crushing knowledge that he is expected to have no voice at all. After forming a bond with his exiled great-uncle, the former Edward VIII, and finding a bit of kinship when he studies in Wales ahead of his investiture, Charles is determined to not let his family dictate everything about his life.
Late in the season, Charles meets and falls in love with Camilla Shand. Even though she's still not totally over her ex, Andrew, he falls hard for her, and soon admits that he wants to marry her. Since Camilla is not of a high enough social class — and not "pure" — his family is strongly against the match, and his uncle Mountbatten and his grandmother the Queen Mother take the lead in scheming to separate them. His last appearance of the season shows him riding in the Silver Jubilee parade, with a resigned expression on his face.