Why King Charles Thinks Prince William Is "Occasionally Hasty" and "Quick to Dismiss Advice," According to a Royal Biographer
"The episode underscored their diverging views on heritage, symbolism, and modern ethics."
Since King Charles took the throne following Queen Elizabeth II's death, there have been reports of alleged friction at the palace. Namely, some have suggested that King Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, don't always see eye to eye on certain matters. And according to one royal biographer, The King has some opinions about the Prince of Wales.
In the book The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal, and Survival, royal biographer Robert Jobson discussed William and Charles's relationship.
"William, indomitable, has clashed not only with his father's courtiers, but at times with Charles himself," Jobson explained.
The author continued, "In 2014, tensions flared over William's proposal to destroy the Royal Collection's 1,200 ivory artifacts...as a bold stand against the illegal ivory trade."
According to Jobson, "Charles rejected the move as 'naive,' arguing that the cause could be championed without erasing history."
As noted by the royal biographer, "The episode underscored their diverging views on heritage, symbolism, and modern ethics."
"William, indomitable, has clashed not only with his father's courtiers, but at times with Charles himself."
"The King, close sources say, believes William is occasionally hasty and can be too quick to dismiss sage, well-meaning advice," Jobson explained.
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However, Prince William is also growing as a senior royal and as the heir apparent.
As Jobson shared, "William is steadily evolving into the global statesman he must become, using soft power diplomacy on the world stage."
"The King...believes William is occasionally hasty."
Even if their relationship isn't always perfect, it seems as though Charles and William have been learning how to work together on a large scale in recent years.
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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.