Editing Charles III (section)

== Media image and public opinion ==
{{further|Cultural depictions of Charles III}}
Since his birth, Charles has received close media attention, which increased as he matured. It has been an ambivalent relationship, largely impacted by his marriages to Diana and Camilla and their aftermath, but also centred on his future conduct as king.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bartlett |first=Mike |title=King Charles III |publisher=Almeida Theatre |url=http://www.almeida.co.uk/event/kingcharles3 |url-status=dead |access-date=27 July 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140805160223/http://www.almeida.co.uk/event/kingcharles3 |archive-date=5 August 2014}}</ref>
[[File:President Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana in the Yellow Oval Room.jpg|thumb|With his first wife, Diana, and [[Ronald Reagan|Ronald]] and [[Nancy Reagan]] in the [[White House]], November 1985]]

Described as the "[[Eligible bachelor|world's most eligible bachelor]]" in the late 1970s,<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 October 1979 |title=The Man Who Will Be King |publisher=[[The Milwaukee Journal]] |agency=Google News |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19791001&id=PSwpAAAAIBAJ&pg=4563,324963 |url-status=dead |access-date=30 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423003801/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19791001&id=PSwpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6CoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4563,324963 |archive-date=23 April 2016}}</ref> Charles was subsequently overshadowed by Diana.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 August 2016 |title=Patrick Jephson: Prince Charles Was Unable to Reconcile with Princess Diana's Extraordinary Popularity |url=http://www.independent.mk/articles/36006/Patrick+Jephson+Prince+Charles+Was+Unable+to+Reconcile+with+Princess+Diana's+Extraordinary+Popularity |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221010930/http://www.independent.mk/articles/36006/Patrick+Jephson+Prince+Charles+Was+Unable+to+Reconcile+with+Princess+Diana%27s+Extraordinary+Popularity |archive-date=21 February 2017 |access-date=2 February 2017 |work=The Independent|issn=1741-9743 |oclc=185201487}}</ref> After her death, the media regularly breached Charles's privacy and printed exposés. Known for expressing his opinions, when asked during an interview to mark his 70th birthday whether this would continue in the same way once he is king, he responded "No. It won't. I'm not that stupid. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course, you know, I understand entirely how that should operate."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=7 November 2018 |title=Prince Charles: 'Me, meddle as a king? I'm not that stupid' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/08/prince-charles-me-meddle-as-a-king-im-not-that-stupid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108023237/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/08/prince-charles-me-meddle-as-a-king-im-not-that-stupid |archive-date=8 November 2018 |access-date=22 June 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2009 Charles was named the world's best-dressed man by ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite news|date= 5 March 2009|title= Prince Charles named world's best dressed man|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-03-05/prince-charles-named-worlds-best-dressed-man/1610184|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526184723/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-03-05/prince-charles-named-worlds-best-dressed-man/1610184|archive-date=26 May 2024|access-date= 26 May 2009|work=ABC News|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2023 the ''[[New Statesman]]'' named Charles as the fourth most powerful right-wing figure of the year, describing him as a "[[Traditionalism (perennialism)|romantic traditionalist]]" and "the very last [[reactionary]] in public life" for his support of various traditionalist think-tanks and previous writings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 September 2023 |title=The New Statesman's right power list |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2023/09/the-new-statesmans-right-power-list |access-date=14 December 2023 |work=New Statesman |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214100018/https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2023/09/the-new-statesmans-right-power-list |url-status=live }}</ref>

A 2018 BMG Research poll found that 46 per cent of Britons wanted Charles to abdicate immediately on his mother's death, in favour of William.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barnes |first=Tom |date=2 January 2019 |title=Almost half of British public want Prince Charles to give throne to William upon Queen's death, survey finds |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charles-heir-throne-abdicated-william-queen-dies-death-next-in-line-public-opinion-a8704316.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908182957/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charles-heir-throne-abdicated-william-queen-dies-death-next-in-line-public-opinion-a8704316.html |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The Independent |issn=1741-9743 |oclc=185201487}}</ref> However, a 2021 opinion poll reported that 60 per cent of the British public had a favourable opinion of him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Isabelle |title=Public opinion of Prince Charles improves in latest royal favourability poll |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/12/02/public-opinion-prince-charles-improves-latest-roya |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202155651/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/12/02/public-opinion-prince-charles-improves-latest-roya |archive-date=2 December 2021 |access-date=8 September 2022 |website=[[YouGov]]}}</ref> On his accession to the throne, ''[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]'' reported an opinion poll that put Charles's popularity with the British people at 42 per cent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth II passes away, Prince Charles succeeds as king |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/world/queen-elizabeth-death-1503109316.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908183307/https://www.thestatesman.com/world/queen-elizabeth-death-1503109316.html |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=[[The Statesman (India)]]}}</ref> More recent polling suggested that his popularity increased sharply after he became king.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Matthew |date=13 September 2022 |title=Britons' first impressions of King Charles III |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/09/13/britons-first-impressions-king-charles-iii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214180051/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/09/13/britons-first-impressions-king-charles-iii |archive-date=14 December 2022 |access-date=14 December 2022 |website=YouGov}}</ref> {{As of|2024|October}}, Charles had an approval rating of 62 per cent, according to statistics and polling company [[YouGov]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=King Charles III popularity and fame |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/King_Charles_III |access-date=24 October 2024 |website=YouGov |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416190925/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/King_Charles_III |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Reaction to press treatment ===
In 1994 the German tabloid ''[[Bild]]'' published nude photos of Charles that were taken while he was vacationing in [[Le Barroux]]; they had reportedly been put up for sale for £30,000.<ref name="Independent-Sept94">{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Rhys |date=7 September 1994 |title='Hunky' Prince is exposed to public gaze |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/hunky-prince-is-exposed-to-public-gaze-1447414.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718040840/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/hunky-prince-is-exposed-to-public-gaze-1447414.html |archive-date=18 July 2022 |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Independent (UK) |publisher=Independent Digital News & Media Ltd |issn=1741-9743 |oclc=185201487}}</ref> Buckingham Palace reacted by stating that it was "unjustifiable for anybody to suffer this sort of intrusion".<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 September 1994 |title=German Tabloid Publishes Photo of Nude Prince Charles |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-08-mn-36022-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718040840/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-08-mn-36022-story.html |archive-date=18 July 2022 |access-date=18 July 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

Charles, "so often a target of the press, got his chance to return fire" in 2002, when addressing "scores of editors, publishers, and other media executives" gathered at [[St Bride's Fleet Street]] to celebrate 300 years of journalism.{{efn|London's first daily newspaper, the ''[[Daily Courant]]'', was published in 1702.}}<ref name="Woods">{{Cite web |last=Woods |first=Audrey |date=11 March 2002 |title=Prince Charles addresses editors |url=https://apnews.com/92deb09f64410b55cdfc261db024282b |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918060017/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2002/Prince-Charles-Addresses-Editors/id-92deb09f64410b55cdfc261db024282b |archive-date=18 September 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |publisher=AP News Archive}}</ref> Defending public servants from "the corrosive drip of constant criticism", he noted that the press had been "awkward, cantankerous, cynical, bloody-minded, at times intrusive, at times inaccurate, and at times deeply unfair and harmful to individuals and to institutions."<ref name=Woods/> But, he concluded, regarding his own relations with the press, "from time to time we are probably both a bit hard on each other, exaggerating the downsides and ignoring the good points in each."<ref name=Woods/>
[[File:FEMA - 18543 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 11-04-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|right|With Camilla (centre left) in front of the media pack in the [[French Quarter]] of [[New Orleans]], United States, as part of [[Hurricane Katrina]] recovery efforts, November 2005|alt=Charles and Camilla amidst a crowd of people, mostly reporters and photographers, in New Orleans]]

In 2006 Charles [[Prince of Wales v Associated Newspapers Ltd|filed a court case]] against ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'', after excerpts of his personal journals were published, revealing his opinions on matters such as the [[transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong]] to China in 1997, in which Charles described the Chinese government officials as "appalling old waxworks".<ref name="BBCjournals">{{Cite news |date=21 February 2006 |title=Charles 'adopted dissident role' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4734798.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202181743/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4734798.stm |archive-date=2 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="nytimes-charlesgothrone-sept82022">{{Cite news |last=Landler |first=Mark |date=8 September 2022 |title=Long an Uneasy Prince, King Charles III Takes On a Role He Was Born To |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/world/europe/charles-king-uk.html |url-status=live |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920024032/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/world/europe/charles-king-uk.html |archive-date=20 September 2022 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> Charles and Camilla were named in 2011 as [[List of news media phone hacking scandal victims|individuals whose confidential information was reportedly targeted or actually acquired]] in conjunction with the [[news media phone hacking scandal]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Rainey |first1=Sarah |last2=Blenkinsop |first2=Andrew |date=13 July 2011 |title=Phone hacking: who's who in the News International scandal |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8635999/Phone-hacking-whos-who-in-the-News-International-scandal.html |url-status=live |access-date=19 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219183123/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8635999/Phone-hacking-whos-who-in-the-News-International-scandal.html |archive-date=19 December 2022}}</ref>

''[[The Independent]]'' noted in 2015 that Charles would only speak to broadcasters "on the condition they have signed a 15-page contract, demanding that Clarence House attends both the 'rough cut' and 'fine cut' edits of films and, if it is unhappy with the final product, can 'remove the contribution in its entirety from the programme'."<ref name="I.Burrell15">{{Cite news |last=Burrell |first=Ian |date=2 December 2015 |title=The 15-page contract that reveals how Charles tries to control the media |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charles-the-15page-contract-that-reveals-how-the-prince-of-wales-tries-to-control-the-media-a6756541.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421210152/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charles-the-15page-contract-that-reveals-how-the-prince-of-wales-tries-to-control-the-media-a6756541.html |archive-date=21 April 2022 |access-date=21 April 2022 |work=The Independent |issn=1741-9743|oclc=185201487}}</ref> This contract stipulated that all questions directed at Charles must be pre-approved and [[vetted]] by his representatives.<ref name=I.Burrell15/>