Young Prince William Asked Prince Charles, "Why Do You Make Mummy Cry All the Time?"

A young Prince William took mother Princess Diana's side in arguments with his father, Prince Charles, according to royal biographer Robert Lacey.

prince william, with his parents prince charles and princess diana 1961 1997, at his first official photo call in the garden at kensington palace, london, 14th december 1983 photo by jayne fincherprincess diana archivegetty images
(Image credit: PA Images)
  • A young Prince William took mother Princess Diana's side in arguments with his father, Prince Charles, according to royal biographer Robert Lacey.
  • "I hate you, Papa. I hate you so much," William allegedly once shouted at his father.
  • "Why do you make Mummy cry all the time?" William reportedly asked Charles

Well, this is incredibly sad. Prince Charles' troubled relationship with Princess Diana had a profound impact on sons Prince William and Prince Harry, according to royal biographer Robert Lacey in new book Battle of Brothers. And a young William reportedly got into heated arguments with his father, taking his mother's side when conflict arose between his parents.

"I hate you, Papa. I hate you so much," Lacey alleges William once shouted at Charles, according to Us Weekly. In a heartbreaking detail, William reportedly added, "Why do you make Mummy cry all the time?"

In a 1995 BBC Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir, Diana discussed how she explained her divorce from Charles to her sons. "William asked me what had been going on, and could I answer his questions, which I did," she reflected. "He said, 'Was that the reason why our marriage had broken up?' And I said, 'Well, there were three of us in this marriage, and the pressures of the media was another factor, so the two together were very difficult.' But although I still loved Papa, I couldn't live under the same roof as him, and likewise with him."

Diana also gave William some profound advice about his future love life, she revealed. "I went to the school and put it to William, particularly, that if you find someone you love in life you must hang onto it and look after it," she said. "And if you were lucky enough to find someone who loved you, then you must protect it."

Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.