Royal biographer Catherine Mayer has revealed an awkward and humorous behind-the-scenes moment from the early years of King Charles’s romantic life, involving what was meant to be a kiss that ended in an accidental headbutt
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While researching her bestselling 2015 biography on King Charles, Charles: The Heart of a King, journalist, Catherine Mayer, explained that she had been “lucky enough to see royals behind-closed-doors” and had once assumed that they “kind of kick off protocol along with their shoes” once the cameras stopped rolling — but said this was far from the reality she witnessed.
Speaking on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, Mayer recalled a hilarious anecdote shared by one of Charles’ former girlfriends.
The anonymous woman described the moment she and a group of friends were waiting for the then-Prince Charles to arrive.
“I talked to one of Charles’ old girlfriends for the biography I wrote of him, and she told me this really funny story about how they were all in this room waiting for him to come and, you know, they’re all smoking out windows and, you know, being young people,” Mayer said.
“And as soon as he arrived in the room, they all kind of went like that and had to call him ‘Sir,’ and then she was supposed to curtsy to him and call him ‘Sir’ whenever she met him, even though she was, like, his girlfriend.
“So she goes to curtsy just as he leans forward to kiss her. He leans forward to kiss her, and she gives him a Glasgow kiss.”
A ‘Glasgow kiss’ in Britain is a playful term for a headbutt, whether it happens on purpose or by mistake.
The eligible bachelor
While the woman in Mayer’s account is unnamed, it is alleged that the King dated close to 20 women before marrying the late Princess Diana in 1981 and later Queen Camilla in 2005.
The now 77-year-old King Charles was widely regarded as Britain’s most eligible bachelor and was linked to several high-profile romances.
Many of them were from Britain’s aristocratic families and were nicknamed ‘Charlie’s Angels’ by the UK press.
One of his earliest relationships was with Lucia Santa Cruz, whom he met while studying at Trinity College. Often described by royal biographers as his ‘first serious love,’ Lucia is also widely believed to have introduced Charles to the now-Queen Camilla.
Over the years, the King was also romantically linked to Davina Sheffield, Lady Jane Wellesley, Lady Amanda Knatchbull, Sabrina Guinness, and Lady Sarah Spencer, who was his late wife’s sister.
Mayer went on to describe her own encounters with royal protocol, saying she still finds it somewhat profound.
She explained: “I went with my husband to the state banquet and we were just… the whole experience of being announced into the room is just such a funny thing, but they all do this.
“I mean, obviously the state banquet is a formal thing, but they do it at other kinds of formal receptions. They absolutely do.”
Her newest title, which shines a light on the complex and frequently misunderstood lives of British royal women, is available to purchase now.
Speaking to The Telegraph, she also revealed one particular discovery that caught her off guard during her research.
She said: “I ended up feeling incredibly sorry for Diana. I understand how she made the mistake of thinking she could find happiness within the institution. I think you basically need your head examined to want to be a part of it.
“The really good thing that Kate and William have done is they’ve tried to give their children some taste of normality.”
