4 Royal Moments That Seemingly Revealed Tension Between King Charles and Prince William

King Charles and Prince William’s relationship has not always been smooth sailing, and a few awkward moments have raised questions about whether the father and son tend to see things differently behind closed doors. For instance, Robert Jobson once made a revealing claim in his book Our King Charles III that especially raised eyebrows. As per The Independent, the author alleged that William had “been known to speak forcefully to his father,” and one exchange between them became so heated that it left Charles “shaken.” While that does not prove there is a rift between Charles and William, there have been several moments over the years that have certainly fuelled speculation.

The Coronation was a high-pressure day for the Royal Family, so the awkward wait outside Westminster Abbey did not exactly help. William and Princess Kate were expected to arrive before King Charles and Queen Camilla, but they ended up arriving around 90 seconds later than planned, leaving the couple waiting in their carriage. A Sky News lip reader later interpreted Charles as having said, “We can never be on time…There’s always something,”. William and Kate also appeared tense as they prepared to enter the Abbey, as body language expert Louise Mahler told News Australia that the couple was looking “quite tense” during their conversation before the ceremony.

At the French state banquet at Windsor Castle in July 2025, Charles gave William a sweet tribute while speaking about the historic residence, and said, “So it is perhaps rather appropriate that my son, the Prince of Wales, who shares that earlier William's name, has made Windsor his home with his family, like so many of our predecessors.” But when the King finished his speech, and guests rose to applaud, a viral video from the dinner showed William remaining seated and not clapping. He appeared to be the only one who did not stand, while the other guests rose to their feet and responded to the King’s speech with thunderous applause. The moment was quickly seen as a snub by netizens and critics alike.

In May 2025, Charles and William appeared together at Westminster Abbey for the 300th anniversary of the Order of the Bath. William was formally installed as the Order’s new Great Master. Yet as William made his way through the grand ceremony in his ceremonial robes, his expression hardly suggested he was enjoying the occasion and appeared noticeably serious. The Daily Beast later reported that a friend of William had described the ceremony as exactly the sort of “medieval cosplay” the Prince found ridiculous. The source added, “He understands and respects tradition, but this kind of event is hardly telegraphing a monarchy which is modern and relevant.”

The annual Christmas Day walk at Sandringham was business as usual last year as the Royal Family headed to church together. But behind the scenes, the decision to have Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie join the walk reportedly caused some disagreement between Charles and William. The future King was said to have opposed the move because of the controversy surrounding their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, but Charles reportedly overruled him and went ahead with the decision. Royal expert Rob Shuter revealed in his Substack, “Prince William strongly opposed King Charles's decision to include Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie in the family's highly choreographed Christmas church walk.” A palace insider told him, “William said it was a disaster waiting to happen. He argued the timing was toxic and that it would hurt everyone involved—especially the sisters.”