His wife Muriel died suddenly in August 1974, an event which was particularly traumatic for Charles. He married long time friend and widow Louise Jackson in 1981. During the 1980s, Charles became a friend of Gerald Durrell, and took an interest in the work of the Jersey Wildlife Trust. Charles donated approximately £4m to finance the construction of a new centre in Jersey (including the Harcroft Lecture Theatre), sponsored conservation work in East Africa, and by the 1990s was supporting work on the preservation of the unique flora and fauna of Madagascar.