It was less than two years before King Charles ascended the throne and his stepmother Elizabeth II died. However, the revelations in Royal Biographer Omid Scobie's book Endgame and reports of the rude behaviour shown by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie seem to have thrown Buckingham Palace into chaos and questioned the early test of the king's temper.
According to veteran royal commentator Daniela Elsel, King Charles appears to have "lost control" in just 29 hours since Scobie's book summary was published. In the book, Scobie sheds light on new dynamics of Charles's breakdown relationship with Prince Harry, claiming that the king has completely cut off the financial support of his financially troubled young son, and withdrew his security protections after Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from front-line royal duties in 2020.
This is in stark contrast to Charles' continued private security for Prince Andrew, who was banished from public royal life for his association with convicted ** offender Jeffrey Epstein. Scobie doesn't think Charles's different ways of treating his two sons are showing the best of him.
Meanwhile, new reports claim that Charles behaved "rudely" towards Prince Harry's son Archie during his latest visit to Balmoral and behaved out of control with his grandson.
While Charles is touring the Middle East to promote environmental issues at COP28 in Dubai, reputation-damaging disclosures in Britain appear to have put Buckingham Palace in a difficult position. Elsel said the palace was now "under a symbolic siege" and was desperately trying to control the deteriorating negative PR.
After years of scandals, including Prince Andrew's association with Epstein and the aftermath of Meghan's Brexit, the new accusations threaten to seriously undermine Charles's image and authority, which was exactly when his reign began.
Some have questioned whether the 75-year-old Charles has begun to feel overwhelmed by the pressure of work and the test of family. Could it be more difficult than expected to maintain a stable hand between the monarchy at the helm and the family that misbehaves itself?
His passionate advocacy of environmental issues abroad contrasts with the chaos that emanates from the walls of Buckingham Palace in his absence. However, if his stated treatment of Prince Harry is confirmed, tantrums with small children, even in private, could seriously damage Charles's popularity.
While the pressures of the past few years have tested the resilience of the entire family, the king must demonstrate control, grace in dealing with pressure, and leadership by example if he wants to maintain public support for the monarchy. Any bullying or unfairness towards family members is likely to reinforce the idea that some members of the royal family still don't understand how to remain relevant in the modern age.
Charles' irritable temper isn't the first time he's been in the spotlight. His infamous "tantrums" have been seen for years to be seen, from allegedly angry at employees, throwing pills into the corner of the room, to the Sunday Times report that "Charles is not a happy man". With such a high degree of public and scrutiny, any sign of temper could quickly trigger a crisis of confidence in his rule.
Of course, we can't fully understand Charles's relationship with Prince Harry or the full context of said behavior against Archie without hearing the full picture of the parties. There is no doubt that after the death of his mother, he took on a lot of pressure in several roles.
However, if he wants his leadership and authority to be assured in the long term, Charles must have perfect control over his public image and family affairs. Anyone who thinks he has difficulty controlling his wayward relatives or his fabled temper is likely to exacerbate the questioning of the enormous duties he has inherited.
At this critical early stage, Charles cannot afford the slightest sign of vulnerability or instability. Like his mother, he had to symbolize stability and calm in turbulent times. An image of a benevolent grandfather, not an image of a reported tantrum with a small child. Stilling oneself and silently facing one's personal trials with dignity is an example of stoic perseverance that has long been admired by the British public, and a model of the Queen. While we can understand the king's human weakness, the reward for him is the rule and stability of the royal family.
For now, with the palace's damage limiting machine speeding up, King Charles would do well to let his actions be more powerful than the words of disgruntled people like Scobie. By taking conciliatory actions, rather than continuing the financial penalties to prove his sympathy for Prince Harry, it may be possible to regain lost territory. At the same time, if needed, making amends for his mistakes and elevating his image as a stable and friendly grandfather may help to demonstrate the stability that sustains the monarchy in the long run.
For the benefit of Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries, we hope that Charles will step up and prove that this early turmoil was only a brief royal storm, not the beginning of a bigger storm. Guided by his mother's vision and values, if anyone can bring the Windsor royal family back to peace through calm and determined leadership, it will be the new king.
But he must act quickly to reassure the public and, above all, his own relatives that he is in full control of the situation from now on. If his mother were still alive today, she would certainly have exhorted everyone to unite rather than ** during this transitional period. The future of the royal family may depend on whether Charles heeds these wise advices.