King Charles III’s ‘Proper Temper’ Seen by Former Staffers, According to Book: ‘He Would Go From Zero to 60’

TL;DR: 

• King Charles is described as a “demanding boss” in Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown.
• In the book, author Valentine Low quoted a former palace staffer who said King Charles had a “proper temper” and “would throw something” in his former royal household as the Prince of Wales.
• Previous claims have been made about Prince William “flying off the handle.” 

King Charles III’s temper, most recently seen during a leaky pen incident, can go from “zero to 60 in a flash,” a new book says. Other claims include the new leader of the British royal family throwing things when angry and being a “demanding boss.” 

Former staffers described working for King Charles at Clarence House as a round-the-clock job

Author and journalist Valentine Low offered a glimpse inside the king’s former royal household, or royal office, in Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown. Up until Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the 73-year-old operated out of Clarence House.

In a Times of London excerpt of the book, Low described the former Prince of Wales as a “demanding boss.” 

“Working for him is not a nine-to-five job,” they said before sharing insights from former palace staffers on what their experiences had been like working for the now-king. 

“He is never satisfied with himself, or what he has achieved. People around him had to work hard to keep up. He had enormous stamina,” Low quoted a former staffer as saying. 

Another told Low working for him “was demanding in that he is always working. Seven days a week. Never stops.”

“At any moment he may want to call you about something,” the author added. “Working on his boxes, on his ideas, on his papers. The pace is pretty intense.” 

A former staffer opened up about King Charles’s ‘proper temper,’ telling the author he ‘would rarely direct it at the individual’

A former staffer also recalled witnessing King Charles’s “proper temper.” They told Low, who first reported bullying allegations against Meghan Markle in 2021, employees weren’t typically the target. 

“He would rarely direct it at the individual. It would be about something, and he would lose his temper. He would throw something,” they said. “He would go from zero to 60 in a flash, and then back down again. Things would frustrate him, especially the media.”

Previous claims have been made about Prince William’s temper 

Various claims have also been made about the now-Prince of Wales having a temper. In his 2020 book, Battle of Brothers, Robert Lacey claimed that Camilla Parker Bowles has witnessed William’s temper first-hand. He wrote the 40-year-old’s “ranting and raving” as a young man came as a surprise to the now-queen consort.

Meanwhile, another royal author claimed William’s wife, Kate Middleton, helped get his temper under control. A friend of the Prince and Princess of Wales told royal biographer Ingrid Seward that Kate can talk William down when he’s “flying off the handle.” 

However, any outbursts from William may now be few and far between. According to Seward, parenthood has “mellowed” William. 

Low’s book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown, will be published on Oct. 6.