King Charles had a sentimental attachment to his childhood teddy bear, which he still accompanies to this day, a royal biographer has claimed.
Christopher Andersen, author of ‘The King: The Life of Charles III’, told Entertainment Tonight that the new monarch, 73, adored his bear so much that he would only allow one person at a time to make important repairs to him – his childhood nanny, Mabel Anderson.
The author added that as a young prince and into adulthood, Charles treated the teddy bear “like his own child.”
During the Sandringham Flower Show in 2013, then-Prince Charles was presented with a teddy bear for baby Prince George
Baby Prince Charles is taken for a walk by his nanny, Mabel Anderson, who could be counted on to keep his favorite bear repaired
Prince Charles beams and holds a teddy bear that he was given as a gift during a visit to Aberdeen in 1998
In the new biography, the American bestselling author claimed that Charles Fawcett’s help Michael Fawcett was tasked with taking care of the bear and knowing where he was at all times.
And if the antique teddy ever needed repairs, only Mabel Anderson, the king’s nanny, was allowed near it. “Mispy,” as the king affectionately called her, was even brought out of retirement to help out.
Author Christopher Andersen wrote, “He was well into his forties, and every time this teddy needed repairs you’d think it was his own child who had major surgery.”
He added, “The bear went everywhere with Charles.”
Mrs Anderson, now in her 90s, joined the royal household when Charles needed an assistant nurse and became one of the most trusted servants in the firm and a good friend of the late Queen.
At her job interview, she was the only applicant who “didn’t tremble with nervousness”.
The late Queen visits Prince Charles at Gordonstoun School, where he boarded on his last day on 31 July 1967
Then-Prince Charles is seen here with trusted helper Michael Fawcett, who was reportedly tending to his favorite teddy bear
In September, the new king complained about the pen he used to sign his name, moaning angrily that he “couldn’t take that damn thing”.
The faulty instrument was quickly removed and replaced by nervous courtiers before Camilla sat down to autograph the book herself from inside the historic residence
Other revelations about the new king revealed in Andersen’s book include Charles traveling everywhere with a “custom made toilet seat”.
He also claimed that when the monarch is invited to dinner somewhere, he brings his own chef so he can prepare his own food separately.
However, the author acknowledged that this is a claim that the king has previously denied.
The book also describes Charles’ time at Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland as “pure hell”.
In an excerpt in Vanity Fair, Andersen wrote: “When he wasn’t being hassled by his rugby teammates or being hung up in the shower, the Prince of the Realm was having to put up with being beaten in bed.”
It reportedly didn’t help that Prince Charles was snoring.
According to the prince, he was beaten with shoes, pillows and fists most nights.
“I’m just scared to go to bed,” he complained, “because I’m being beaten all night.”
He added that much of Charles’ personality can be traced back to a childhood that was “desperately lonely.”
But he also wrote about how Charles was the kind of dad who “had pillow fights with his boys,” “read them bedtime stories,” and “kissed them goodnight,” even as a teenager.