King Charles’ biggest childhood regret was never going to Butlin’s

King Charles’s biggest childhood regret was never going to a Butlin’s resort for a holiday, a friend has revealed.

Charles, who turned 78 on Saturday, was said to have begged the late Queen to take him and his younger sister Anne to one of the coastal destinations, but she always said no.

The royals would instead holiday at their residences at Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, and at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

A friend of the King’s told The Times: “One of the King’s funniest stories that he’s told a few times — and it’s whenever you get him on to his list of regrets of things he hasn’t done — is that he’s never been to Butlin’s, and that he and Princess Anne never went as children.

“He asked the Queen and Prince Philip many times if he and Anne could go on holiday to Butlin’s as children, and he tells how the Queen would always say: ‘I don’t quite think we will be able to manage that.’

“He laughs at how disappointed he was that he and his sister never managed to pull that off as children. He always wanted to go.”

A spokesperson for Butlin’s told the newspaper: “We’d like to wish His Majesty a very happy birthday and, as we celebrate our landmark 90th year, help him make a childhood wish come true. His late mother visited Butlin’s in 1963, and we’d be delighted to invite the King and his family to visit one of our resorts.”

The chain also wrote on X: “It’s never too late! We’d be delighted to invite The King and his family to visit one of our resorts. Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!”

We'd love to welcome #HarryandMegan to resort. They'd be following in another famous Royal couple's footsteps...... https://t.co/aeM3SrXG3t https://t.co/5DAyyRJI3J

— Butlin's (@Butlins) October 3, 2018

The Queen and Prince Philip did, in fact, visit the Butlin’s camp in Pwllheli, Wales, in 1963, but did not bring any of their children with them.

Prince Philip had been billeted at the camp during WW2 when it had been taken over by the Navy and renamed HMS Glendower.

Prince Edward also went to the holiday camp in Skegness during the 1990s, and Princess Anne visited the Butlin's Minehead holiday resort in Somerset in 2012 to attend a Carers' Respite Day.

More recently, Prince Harry joked about taking Meghan to the Bognor Regis camp in West Sussex when he mistook it for a circus during a visit to Chichester University in October 2018.

The chain said at the time it would “love to welcome #HarryandMegan to resort. They'd be following in another famous Royal couple's footsteps.”