EXCLUSIVE: The One Massive and Heartbreaking Mistake King Charles is Begging Heir Prince William Not to Make as a Royal Father Revealed
King Charles is pleading Prince William to focus on his little ones.
Aug. 5 2025, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
Cancer-riddled King Charles has issued a pre-deathbed plea to his eldest son and heir, urging Prince William not to repeat the greatest regret of his own royal life.
"Please don't make the same big mistake that I made," he has told his boy, sources tell RadarOnline.com.
Our insider added the monarch feels his huge error is not treating his family well enough.
Focus On The Kids
Charles urged William not to repeat his parenting mistakes.
Charles, who courtiers say is losing his battle with an as yet undisclosed form of cancer, has told William, 43, to prioritize his children – Prince George, 11; Princess Charlotte, 9; and Prince Louis, 6 – over royal duty, something the King admits he failed to do during his own years as a young father.
He has said: "I was so consumed by my royal responsibilities that I didn't make enough room for my family – but William has managed to do that."
Charles' struggles balancing duty and fatherhood have been well-documented, most notably in Spare, the 2023 memoir by his younger son, Prince Harry, 40.
Harry wrote: "He wasn't the kind of father who played endless rounds of tag or tossed a ball until long after dark."
The Duke of Sussex described his father as emotionally distant and constrained by his royal obligations, lamenting Charles' age and commitment to the Crown created barriers between them.
William The Dad
The King admitted he failed to make time for his sons while serving the Crown.
But now, royal insiders say Charles is taking a different approach. Grant Harrold, the King's former butler, said he has seen a major shift in the monarch's priorities.
"I think for the first time ever you've got a King, who I think deep down if his boys need him, he would probably put them before the Crown," Harrold, 46, said.
"That's what I believe, and that's the first time that would ever have happened in the history of the monarchy."
For William, the advice appears to have landed already. Since stepping into a more senior royal role following his father's accession in 2022, the Prince of Wales has been deliberate about carving out time for family.
According to a Kensington Palace aide, William has structured his royal commitments around his children's school schedules and daily routines.
A palace source said: "He takes them to school whenever possible. He's made it known that being there for his kids is non-negotiable."
A Family Reunion?
William prioritized school runs and family time despite royal demands.
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Observers say the contrast between Charles' past and William's present is stark.
Where Charles once spent extended periods away on official duties during William and Harry's childhoods, William has made a point of keeping his young family rooted in Windsor, a short distance from London, where he can balance royal obligations and home life with Princess Catherine, 43.
While the relationship between Charles and William remains strong, highlighted by their rare recent joint appearance at a military engagement in Wiltshire, tensions persist within the wider family.
Harry revealed in a May 2 interview with the BBC that he is currently not in touch with his father, but expressed hope for reconciliation, saying he is concerned about the King's health as he continues cancer treatment.
Charles and William shared a rare joint appearance amid the monarch's illness.
Still, for those close to the family, the message Charles has passed on to his heir is clear: he wants William to be the father he couldn't be.
A source said: "Charles understands what it costs to choose duty over your children, and he's determined that William doesn't have to make that same sacrifice."
