A Princess of Wales

Chapter Fourteen: Favourites

Her eldest boy had lunch with the Queen weekly, his training for his future already beginning and it was starting to show how unequal things were between the two boys.

 "An honest parent," Charles replied simply, he wasn't sure why she was so surprised in this matter especially when it was clear how different she treated Harry compared to both of his siblings. 

Harry was babied almost even above his younger sister who Diana often cast aside in favour of Harry when he was tormenting Adeline. 

"What?" Diana laughed with a shake of her head, she didn't believe for a moment what she was hearing; surely he couldn't be serious about the discussion that they were having. 

"Any honest parent would admit to having a favourite. My father favours Anne, my mother favours Andrew," Charles stated the obvious, he knew that they had always been favoured and it was no secret to any of the family. 

Andrew played into the fact that he was their mother's favourite, like it meant he could get away with anything that he did. 

"You have a favourite?" Diana asked leaning back in the couch, she eyed her ex-husband not sure that she had ever noticed when it came to his treatment of their children. 

Charles treated them all the same if she was honest with herself, it was something that she admired about him no matter how bad things got between them. 

"Adeline," Charles replied without missing a beat, it didn't require any thought on his part and he guessed that he was like his father in that way favouring the only girl. 

William belonged like he did to the crown, he had to be trained in the art of governance and what it would mean for him to one day take the throne. 

"You said that alarmingly quickly," Diana pointed out, she couldn't believe how easily he admitted it; she would have thought he'd have some shame in the matter since as parents weren't supposed to have favourites amongst their children. 

"Because it didn't require thought," Charles told her with a smile, it really didn't and he would not deny that Adeline was his favourite amongst their three children. 

He did his best not allow how this fact to affect how he treated all of his children, he tried to treat them all equally and take interest in all of them. 

"Charles," Diana scolded, a small smile creeping onto her face and she tucked her legs under her as she stared at him; she couldn't believe that he was actually admitting all of this especially when it could be so upsetting to the children. 

Thankfully they were all at school, the apartment feeling so quiet and empty now that they had all headed back to school after the Christmas holidays. 

"Your lack of self-knowledge sometimes is breath-taking," Charles teased knowing that she could not deny that Harry was her favourite, the fact that she looked so scandalised by this talk was rather amusing to him considering everything. 

Diana could be clever when she wished, she knew what she wanted out of life and she had the strength to get what she wanted; it was one of the things that he had loved about her but she could be oblivious sometimes. 

"On balance, I'd say that was an asset," Diana replied stiffly, she would admit that she had lost herself at times but she did feel like she had come into her own as she matured in her role as the Princess of Wales.

"Everyone knows who your favourite is," Charles told Diana, he was sure most of their joint staff could pick out her favourite within a week of working with the former royal couple. 

The way she treated Harry stood out more and more the older that he seemed to get and Charles knew that they had to talk about such matters now. 

"I do not have a favourite child," Diana denied with a shake of her head, she crossed her arms and she refused to admit that Harry was her favourite; her mind racing back to how she treated her younger son to his siblings. 

Charles raised an eyebrow at her, the two sitting in silence for a moment as he allowed Diana to truly think about how she treated Harry. 

Realisation slowly dawning on her face, memory after memory confirming to her what Charles had said; that Harry was most certainly her favourite child and everyone around them knew it. 

"Oh God," Diana whispered covering her face with her hands, she didn't know how she didn't see it; how she didn't realise how she babied the boy even as he was starting to become a man. 

He'd be thirteen in September, officially a teenager and Diana still treated him like a little boy even compared to his younger sister. 

"Harry's my favourite," Diana stated quietly, she might have used William as her confidant and she claimed that he was her soulmate but she treated him more like a friend than her son at times. 

Adeline was an oddity to her, she was rather like Charles and shied away from the things that Diana liked; she was a quiet soul who liked to read, she adored the countryside. 

Diana sat quietly for a second, she picked at her fingers knowing that if she continued to treat Harry like she had then it was only going to end in tears. 

Charles was patient with her, he knew that this was important to do and he didn't want to push her and that's why he had come to speak with Diana rather than have his secretary deal with it. 

Harry was a loose cannon who thought he could do whatever he wanted, he had an attitude that was going to get him into trouble one day if they didn't come together on this.