Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip had an enduring royal romance that lasted 73 years, but they did not always see eye to eye.
One of their clashes behind closed doors was over their son, then-Prince Charles, according to his former brother-in-law Charles, 9th Earl Spencer. In his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Princess Diana's brother discussed the "disturbing" lengths Philip went to in order to prove that Prince Charles did not need to have his ears pinned as a child.
"Their protrusion had led to him being teased at school and mocked in the media," he wrote in an extract released by the Mail.
© Getty"Philip not only stopped the medical procedure from being considered further, he also had one of the Queen’s corgis' ears operated on. This was to serve as some sort of lasting reminder of a plan he had decided was ridiculous for its softness and vanity.
"While I have no idea if these disturbing tales were true, Diana believed them. They made her feel both desperately sad for, and fiercely protective of, Prince Charles, even though he was a dozen years her senior," he continued.
Corgis' pointy ears are one of their most notable features, and there have been no photos that show any of the late Queen's pets with unusual features.
© GettyKing Charles teased about his distinctive ears
There had been many previous reports about Charles being teased about his facial features, including Queen Elizabeth's blunt comment after meeting Prince William for the first time.
© GettyAccording to royal biographer Andrew Morton in Diana: Her True Story—In Her Own Words, she had an "atypical" comment about her new grandson. "As she looked at the tiny bundle she said drily: 'Thank goodness he hasn't got ears like his father.'"
Charles' great-uncle Earl Mountbatten was an advocate for aesthetic surgery, which Princess Margaret took on board with her son, David Armstrong-Jones.
© Getty ImagesAfter inheriting the family’s prominent ears passed down through both King George VI and Prince Philip’s Mountbatten lineage, he was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to have his ears surgically pinned back in June 1965.
Charles actor defends his appearance
While the royals have never publicly commented on the consideration to alter Charles' appearance, actor Josh O'Connor, who was cast as Prince Charles in The Crown, confessed he was pleased to have the same distinctive features as the now monarch.
"When I was at school, I was embarrassed by them and I wanted to pin them back. Now it’s like, ‘Thank God I didn’t’. Hopefully I would have been considered regardless but it helped and, the way I see it, it saved The Crown production on some prosthetics!" he told The Independent.
