Prince Harry isn’t the only son King Charles appears to be having disagreements with. Au contraire, the King’s relationship with eldest son Prince William seems to be getting more strained by the day if we are to believe insiders, with tensions reportedly escalating as the Prince of Wales prepares for his eventual ascension to the throne.
According to reports, royal insiders claim that the father and son are clashing heavily over the future of the monarchy. It’s no secret that King Charles wants to keep things traditional in the monarchy, whereas Prince William wants to streamline and modernize it. And he reportedly doesn’t want to wait until he becomes King to take action, which has undoubtedly fractured his relationship with his father. I.e., the current monarch!
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Prince William Didn't Want Princess Beatrice And Princess Eugenie In The Christmas Morning Walkabout
One of the things the Prince of Wales reportedly took issue with was the fact that ex-Prince Andrew's daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were included in the traditional and highly-publicized Christmas Day church walk at Sandringham, after King Charles invited them to spend Christmas with the royal family.
While Prince William is said to have no personal issue with his cousins, and seemingly had no objection to them being invited to Kate Middleton's Together at Christmas carol concert earlier in the month (although they didn't attend as they didn't want to overshadow the event!) sources suggest he drew the line at including them in the Christmas morning walkabout.
According to insiders, adding more people to the walkabout – especially two people with such a controversial father who is dominating the headlines – didn't align with his goals for the monarchy. And he wasn't afraid to let his father know about it!
King Charles 'Overruled' Prince William, Thus Deepening Tensions
"Prince William strongly opposed King Charles's decision to include Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie in the family's highly choreographed Christmas church walk," Rob Shuter wrote on his Substack.
Although the Prince of Wales opposed the King's decision, the King did in fact ignore him, which has only added to the tensions. The King "overruled him, igniting fresh palace infighting," Shuter wrote.
He went on to say that royal insiders are describing the situation between father and son as "serious." According to Shuter, Prince William even "warned" his father that "publicly parading ex-Prince Andrew's daughters would drag the monarchy back into scandal at the worst possible moment." But he didn't appear to listen!
The source went on to suggest that Prince William's opposition was not only about protecting the monarchy, but also in safeguarding his two cousins. "William said it was a disaster waiting to happen. He argued the timing was toxic and that it would hurt everyone involved – especially the sisters," they said.
King Charles 'Doesn't Like Being Told What Not To Do'
According to Shuter, and other reports that have circulated both recently and in the past, King Charles doesn't like being told what to do (and what not to do!) – particularly by his sons, which is another reason the royal feud is still very far from over!
"Charles doesn't like being told what not to do. This quickly became about authority. He made the call even knowing William objected," the source explained, adding that Prince William may actually be more inclined to challenge his father than Prince Harry, who has more of a bad boy/troublemaker reputation in the media.
"Charles actually has more trouble with William than Harry. William stayed – and challenges him," an insider confirmed, as Shuter concluded: "A Christmas meant to project unity instead exposed a deepening royal rift – one insiders warn could shape the monarchy's future."
