William’s True Feelings Toward Charles Revealed Amid Reports the King Feels His Son ‘Betrayed’ the ‘Crown’ & ‘Shattered’ His ‘Trust’
King Charles has been trying to patch things up with his youngest son, Prince Harry, with whom he has had a complicated relationship as of late. The two just recently met up for the first time in over a year, and though reports after the reunion have been mixed, it still feels like a step forward. In the meantime, however, there are reports that his relationship with his older son, Prince William, is not at a great point. It seems like not everything can be good at the same time for this family.
The recent issues reportedly have to do with William’s new openness in public. According to Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop, the King is not happy about Prince William’s interview with Eugene Levy for his Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler. In particular, his remarks about his own childhood. Recent reports indicate the relationship has “collapsed into silence” with the pair not communicating directly these days.
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A source said about William’s comments, “The King sees it as betrayal, not honesty.” Another one added, “It’s not just family tension—it’s about the Crown itself.” Other sources even said “trust is shattered” between the two after the interview.
This all comes as Prince William is trying to make clear what kind of King he wants to be. According to People, that has nothing to do with his father. “This shouldn’t be seen as criticism of King Charles,” historian Robert Lacey told the outlet. “He is very close to his father and has been his most important supporter.”
“I enjoy change; I don’t fear it,” he says. “That’s the bit that excites me — the idea of being able to bring some change….I want to question things more. Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having? If you’re not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it. I think it’s important to live for the here and now,” William told Eugene Levy during the show.
People also reports it was calculated. “It was a savvy move by William,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told the outlet. “By choosing a Canadian comedian as his interlocutor, William seems to be signaling that he wants to break out of the conventional mold.”
This follows recent reports about King Charles and Prince William’s strained relationship. The Daily Beast reported that their relationship is “tense, difficult, formal, and fraught,” and that “the vast majority of their communication is mediated by their private secretaries.”
Reportedly, the issue is their very different ideas of how to take the monarchy forward. Recent reports, for example, indicated Prince William was upset about having to attend Pope Francis’s funeral because he didn’t want to miss a soccer match. He also didn’t want to participate in VJ Day ceremonies. “Both absolutely true,” a source said. “To William, continuing to run the monarchy as though it were still an Edwardian institution feels absurd. To Charles, his son’s more casual approach can feel like a lack of respect for duty and tradition.”
That doesn’t exactly seem like an issue they can truly fix, no matter what William says in public or not.
