- Title: Prince Charles: The Bachelor Years
- Date: 10th May 2004
- Summary: During the 1970s, Prince Charles was viewed as the most eligible bachelor in the world, and dated a prodigious number of beauties. They were dubbed 'Charlie's Angels' by the press but some of them proved less angelic than they seemed. Charles had taken his beloved uncle Lord Mountbatten's advice to play the field while he could. The polo scene in particular provided him with an opportunity to meet many eligible ladies, particularly through his Argentine team captain Luis 'the bounder' Basualdo. From Camilla Shand - later Parker Bowles - through a series of short relationships with aristocratic young women to Lady Sarah Spencer, rock chick socialite Sabrina Guinness and Anna 'Whiplash' Wallace, among many others, Charles' taste in girlfriends didn't always meet with his parents' approval. Particularly those who had been linked with a string of rock stars, had their 'past' splashed across the News of the World or appeared nude in Penthouse. A young Charles was away with the Navy when his 'fun' relationship with Camilla was cut short by her marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles. Many of his subsequent relationships were curtailed by the unique pressures of dating a prince, some girlfriends failing the 'Balmoral test' - Sabrina Guinness is said to have upset the Queen by sitting in Queen Victoria's chair - and others finding Charles hard to deal with. Lady Sarah Spencer was incensed when, on a date with Charles at the polo, he spurned her for the attractions of a glamorous Colombian friend of Luis. Charles had told journalists that 30 was a good age to get married and, as he celebrated that milestone with the Three Degrees, the pressure was mounting on him to settle down and produce an heir. Although Charles had his choice of girlfriends, the press, the public and his family exerted huge pressure on him to marry the right woman. Then he met Lady Sarah Spencer's 18-year-old little sister... This programme recreates Charles' bachelor years with input from those who knew him at the time, including Luis 'the bounder' Basualdo, former girlfriend June Collie, James Whitaker, Penny Junor and Three Degree Sheila Ferguson, and an excellent '70s soundtrack.
- Description:Prince Charles: The Bachelor Years The Prince of Wales has been linked to countless women and many potential brides throughout the 1970s. This film reveals the stories behind his links to Georgiana Russell,Lady Jane Wellesley,Sabrina Guinness,'Kanga',Davina Sheffield,Fiona Watson,Anna Wallace and of course Diana Spencer's sister Sarah and an acquaintance since his Cambridge years,Camilla Shand later becoming Camilla Parker-Bowles.This programme recreates Charles' bachelor years with input from those who knew him at the time,including Luis 'the bounder' Basualdo,former girlfriend June Collie,James Whitaker,Penny Junor and Three Degree Sheila Ferguson. Director: Neil Crombie
- Broadcaster:Channel 4
- Collection: Channel 4
- Genre:Documentary and Factual
- Producer:Diverse Ltd.
- Programme Episode:Episode 1
- Transmission Date:10/05/2004
- Rights:Worldwide
- Decade: 2000s