Michael Jones

But he's expecting, at a very young age, his son to learn on the job.

And very movingly, in 1340, when the king fights a big naval battle and wins at Sluice, young Edward goes up to say goodbye to him, actually boards the ship and says farewell, and then sends out a stream of messengers.

How's my dad doing?

Any news?

So absolutely, this was a very powerful time.

And I think the young prince was really in awe of his father, quite rightly so.

Yeah, love it.

Well, they're not always physically close.

Dad, in the period of childhood and adolescence, is frequently away in France.

I mean, part of this is notional.

When you have letters back home, they're also sort of public announcements.

So it's kind of

Edward III writes to his son, it's also going to be circulated, so everyone gets in on the act.

But nevertheless, the letters from Edward III to his son are moving.

I think they show a strong relationship.

And in a sense, those frequent absences do make the heart grow fonder, because

It's the aspiration, it's the shared aspiration that's very powerful and it's being hinted at or more than hinted at from a very early age.

I'm setting this up so that you can join in and together we can really put England back on the European map.

Yeah, I mean, he's the oldest of five boys.

Perhaps briefly, I should say at this stage, he's never known as the Black Prince during his lifetime.