Prince William Is Reportedly Viewed as ‘Short Tempered’ and ‘Difficult’ Among Palace Staff
Prince William has long been seen by the public as one of the royal family’s biggest faces. William and his wife of 12 years, Kate Middleton, have been stars of the royal family since they tied the knot back in 2011. And for a long time, the two were viewed as respectable and well-loved by everyone around them.
While that still might ring true for Kate, a new book suggests William isn’t the laid-back guy he makes himself out to be in public. In fact, one royal staffer labeled the prince as “short tempered” and “difficult.”
Prince William has always presented himself in a laid-back way
Prince William, who recently received the title Prince of Wales after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, died in 2022, has long presented himself as fun and relatable. He’s often seen greeting the public with a charming smile and even enjoying plenty of laughs while out on public engagements. William also is all smiles when photographed with his kids; he takes George to professional soccer games whenever he has a chance, and the public loves to watch his sweet moments as a father.
William often dotes on his wife in public, too, and while the two don’t show a ton of physical affection, they can often be spotted giving each other a loving gaze. Still, behind the scenes, some say he’s not quite as relaxed as he always appears to be.
Prince William is dubbed ‘difficult’ and ‘short tempered’ by royal staffer
Royal author Robert Johnson’s new book, “King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed,” offers some behind-the-scenes commentary from palace staffers, with one person labeling the prince as “difficult” and “short tempered.”
“He can be difficult,” a staffer told Johnson, per Express. “He is a driven person and that can make him impatient.” The staffer also said that William can be “short-tempered when dealing with Charles” and even added that Harry and William’s personalities growing up led Charles to know that “conflict [between his two sons] would be very difficult to manage and could have a detrimental impact on the monarchy itself.” It sounds like Charles knew he would have his hands full with William and Harry before the public even realized what would happen between the brothers.
Kate Middleton appears to have her reputation untouched
William is understandably under a lot of pressure. He is the heir to the throne, and he certainly has to maintain a reputation while also making sure he gets things done as the future monarch. William, Kate, and their children are one of the highest-profile little families in the world, and that could certainly make anyone lose their cool at times. Still, it doesn’t appear that Kate’s reputation has been shaded in any way.
There have been rumors that the feud between Kate and Meghan has only escalated, though neither woman has ever given much light to that. Meghan did set the story straight about the infamous accusations that she made Kate cry (turns out it was the other way around), but she told Oprah in a 2020 interview that Kate was a “good person” and didn’t much anything negative to say about her.
