Charles’ Staff Say Working for Him Is Like ‘Treading on Eggshells’ — and William Is No Different
King Charles has more than one thing in common with his eldest, Prince William. As per reports, both father and son are just as temperamental. The upcoming royal biography, The Windsor Legacy by Robert Jobson, peels back the layers of this dynamic, revealing not just the public partnership of the King and heir apparent but also the occasional private frictions that tend to ignite.
Jobson, in excerpts serialized by the Daily Mail, writes, “These days, William and his father generally work well together,” with the King often consulting his son and “largely trusting him to do what is right.” And yet beneath that, the pair share something that makes collaboration both easier and harder in equal measure: their temper. As Jobson notes, “It doesn’t help that both have a fiery temper that’s not always held in check.” That flash of impatience has long been a defining thread in the King’s life. "Working for Charles, some staff say, can be like ‘treading on eggshells.'"
Staffers recall the episode in February 2022, when Charles, then Prince of Wales, tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time. Ordered to isolate, he was furious at being told he couldn’t travel to Highgrove, his country retreat. So incensed was he, Jobson writes, that he even threatened to drive himself down the M4 until aides, fearing for his safety, hid his car keys. It was one of those moments when his temper outpaced protocol.
But Palace staff, it seems, have learned that William isn’t always the calmer of the two. Insiders describe him as 'difficult to handle' on occasion, a far cry from a statesmanlike public image. An aide recalled a time the Prince clashed with his father over a misunderstanding, asserting himself a bit too firmly. “Even senior aides tread lightly,” Jobson notes, wary of approaching William with sensitive issues when the mood isn’t right.
The King, meanwhile, has mellowed with time and circumstance. Those closest to him say his 2024 cancer diagnosis softened his approach toward staff. “He’s now become more emotional,” Jobson observes. “His longer-serving staff feel he’s warmer, more openly expressive than before.” Still, father and son don’t always see eye to eye. A taut episode dates back to 2014, when William suggested destroying the Royal Collection’s 1,200 ivory artifacts, including Queen Victoria’s 1851 Indian throne, as a stand against the ivory trade. Charles balked, calling it ‘naive’, insisting the cause could be championed without erasing history. The compromise was that the ivory pieces disappeared from display, and later, Charles placed them under legal protection.
Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time Charles' temperamental issues have been out in the open. In Rebel King, author Tom Bower pulls back the curtain on the King’s reported rudeness toward his gardeners. Bower recounted an awkward episode involving celebrated gardener Sir Roy Strong, who was invited to Highgrove to offer advice on hedge cultivation. Strong spent several days refining his plans with his own gardener before submitting a bill. But what followed, Bower claims, was silence. Not only was Strong never thanked or invited back, but the personalized copy of his gardening book that he gifted to Charles was apparently left behind in a waiting room, never making it to the monarch's library.