Under the Radar Feud: Prince William and King Charles Rift Has 'Only Heightened' in Recent Months
William, Prince of Wales and King Charles III could be experiencing a feud that went unnoticed thanks to a focus on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
King Charles III and his heir, Prince William, have reportedly been locked in a power struggle based on ego since the former's accession to the British throne on September 8, 2022.
"I think we spend so much time — by we, I just mean the general media landscape — focusing on really petty dramas and fictionalized stuff about Harry and Meghan that we sometimes miss the big story that's sort of playing out under our noses," royal author Omid Scobie told a publication.
"And I've really noticed this kind of growing divide between Charles and William," the writer of Finding Freedom and Endgame added.
The latter of those two tomes is currently making headlines thanks to numerous details within it, with the way in which the royal journalist characterizes William and his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, being one of many controversies.
As The Royal Observer previously reported, one of the book's more incendiary claims is that the middle-class raised Kate Middleton once took voice lessons to sound "posher" for her husband. The future king's alleged 2019 affair with aristocrat Rose Hanbury is also rehashed at length, which many claim was exaggerated thanks to Hanbury and the Princess of Wales being seen socializing this year.
The recent revelation that the Dutch edition of Endgame named King Charles and Catherine as "two royal racists" questioning Prince Archie's future skin color has further called Scobie's credibility into question.
"Someone said to me really early on in this process, they said to tell a good story, you've got to shine a light in the darkest places and not give a f--- while you're doing it. So that's kind of the approach to this one," Scobie once said of his writing process.
Still, others claim an air of competitiveness between the monarch and his 41-year-old heir is not far off from believability.
"William now has a finite amount of time available during which he has greater political freedom to craft a legacy before he becomes king, at which point he must be fastidiously neutral. There may well be competitiveness here from William," royal commentator Jack Royston dished.
But there is more doubt in the author's stories than there seems to be a genuine push to believe the claims.
"It's one thing writing a critique of the royal family. That's freedom of expression. But it's another thing to peddle conspiracy theories dressed up as fact," a friend of the Prince of Wales told an outlet.
"Scobie's theme, that William is ambitious and wants the role of king, is simply part of the theme of a book which seeks to undermine the monarchy," royal writer Richard Fitzwilliams told a publication.
Powered by RedCircle
Business Insider reported on the expert opinions.
