Charles - The Destiny of a Prince Season 1, Episode 2: The Later Years

The Apprenticeship Years

Part one of a two-part documentary about the Prince of Wales. Despite the constant media circus surrounding him, the question remains - who really is the man? Still a prince and still in waiting, even as he arrives at what for most people would be a respectable age to retire. He is now the oldest heir to the throne ever, having overtaken William IV - who was 64 when he succeeded his brother. Often, almost despite himself, he has been trapped in ritual obligations that bind him like a straitjacket. Yet managing to go beyond the stiff, formal setting of weddings, funerals and festivities that set the pace of court life, the Prince of Wales has forged his own destiny - one which sets him on a course of action, refusing the comfort of just idling around. He has challenged the establishment, led his own campaigns, and freed his speech from the constitutional rules that he found too strict.