During the Platinum Jubilee earlier this month, the festivities honored Queen Elizabeth, but due to her mobility issues, she was only around for a few of them. For most of this year, Prince Charles has taken her place during major moments, including the State Opening of Parliament and the Platinum Party at the Palace, where he gave a speech in tribute to his “mummy.” It has been a sneak peek into what the reign of Charles III, as he will be known when he is crowned, will look like. Across the world, though, people are still wondering: Does he have what it takes to follow in his mother’s footsteps and secure the future of the monarchy?

transcript

In the final episode of DYNASTY: The Windsors, cohosts Katie Nicholl and Erin Vanderhoof take a look at the future king, first as a boy and then as a man. How did the sensitive child react to living at the whims of his parents’ hectic schedules? How did the young adult find himself when the needs of the monarchy dictated his career path and his choice of a wife?

Tina Brown, royal expert and former editor in chief of Vanity Fair, explains how his lonely childhood and rocky marriage to Princess Diana turned him into the man he is today. Vanity Fair contributor James Reginato describes his experience traveling with Charles, who he says is surprisingly progressive, while financial expert Euan Rellie describes the prince’s interest in environmental causes. Finally, with writers Omid Scobie and Shon Faye, the episode explores what challenges await Charles when he is no longer in the shadow of his beloved mother. 

Throughout this season of DYNASTY: The Windsors, the show has examined the scandals, marriages, and tough decisions that shaped the modern royal family, along with the tools in the royal institution’s arsenal for holding on to power. But as the second Elizabethan era draws to an end, it all depends on an often misunderstood 73-year-old man with a penchant for speaking his mind. Is he the one to ensure the British royal family continues when so many other monarchies have faltered?

Listen to the episode above, and be sure to subscribe at listen.vanityfair.com/dynasty or wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to check out Vanity Fair’s other podcasts too, including Inside the Hive, where cohosts Emily Jane Fox and Joe Hagan tackle the week’s news, and Little Gold Men, which covers Hollywood from the inside.