Personal letters give insight into Prince Charles' private life

Born in Brussels in October 1903, Charles kept the Belgian throne warm for his nephew, the later King Boudewijn. It can even be said that he saved the Belgian monarchy in difficult times, but he didn't receive a lot of credit for it. Charles gained access to the throne (photo) to take the place of Leopold, serving in lieu of his brother, who had been declared unable to rule considering the role he played in the Second World War.

Charles, also called the Prince Regent, had clear ties with England where he grew up. He went to the prep school of Wixenford in Wokingham, Berks, and later attended the Royal Naval College. In 1926 he obtained the rank of sub-lieutenant in the British Royal Navy.

His time at the Royal Naval College allowed him to meet Alfred Edward Courtenay Snell, who would become a very good friend of his. VRT News recently gained access to 30 letters from Charles, from before and after his time as the Belgian Regent.

The Belgian historian, Prof Mark Van Den Wijngaert (photo), cited from the letters on VRT TV News: " 'My dear Snell, I feel at present rather like the red fish that has fallen in a public pond.' It's a letter written by Prince Charles, but signed as Charles Dorson, a pseudonym he used in England."

"It's a letter from 1967, written at a time when he was experiencing major financial difficulties because of the bad advisers that surrounded him. They stole several million Belgian francs from him."

The letters give a good insight into what the prince thinks and feels, says Prof Van Den Wijngaert. "He is very troubled by what happens to him, and suffers from a stomach ulcer as a result of the misery he encounters. He thinks he has to leave the country, in order to move to Australia or another country on a permanent basis."

"While he is in France, he tries to hide that he is staying there, in Biarritz or Monte Carlo", says Prof Van Den Wijngaert. One of his letters starts like this: "Would you send me half a dozen picture post cards of London, so I can write and address them to important people in Brussels?"

Charles writes the letters or postcards from France and has them sent to England, where they are sent to Belgium by mail, showing the English post mark. It's Charles' way to make others believe he is staying in England.

Charles played a major role in saving the Belgian monarchy. "The image of the monarchy had suffered a lot from the very controversial behaviour of King Leopold III, who had negotiated with Hitler and married on his own account during the war. Charles had to make sure that the dust would settle, and that things would calm down."