Prince William Left King Charles 'Shaken' After Argument, New Book Claims

Prince William once left King Charles III visibly "shaken" after a "heated" exchange in which he displayed a temper "reminiscent" of his late mother Diana, according to a new royal biography.

William's temper was also discussed in Prince Harry's memoir Spare, which detailed an alleged physical altercation over Meghan Markle that took place at Kensington Palace in 2019.

According to to Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed, by veteran royal reporter Robert Jobson, Charles was "shocked" by William and Harry's "level of belligerence" towards each other and their father when they were growing up.

"On occasions, both his sons have challenged him," Jobson wrote in the book, which is published in Britain today.

"William has even been known to speak forcefully to his father. One exchange between them was so heated that it left Charles shaken."

Of the brothers' falling-out, which has been charted in the press and confirmed by Harry in his memoir, Jobson explained that Charles hoped his sons would sort things out without needing intervention.

"Both of his sons' tempers are reminiscent of their mother Diana's, which Charles had struggled to cope with during their marriage," he wrote.

"Thus the prince chose not to intervene, hoping that in time it would all blow over. But instead of a line being drawn under it, the relationship between his sons deteriorated further."

Jobson describes both brothers as having fierce tempers, but William's disposition has been brought into focus increasingly by Harry.

In his Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which aired in December, the Duke of Sussex discussed a "terrifying" meeting with William, Charles and Queen Elizabeth II.

"It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me," he said, "and my father say things that just simply weren't true and my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and sort of take it all in."

Harry's memoir Spare, which was published in January and has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, also refers to his brother's temperament.

The duke recounted a childhood incident when both brothers were fighting in a car driven by their father. William was reprimanded by Charles and told to move to the back-up car, which was following them.

"Willy turned to me, furious. He felt I got away with everything," Harry wrote. "He stepped out of the car, stomped to the backup car with all the bodyguards, strapped himself in [...] The convoy resumed. Now and then I peered out the back window. Behind us, I could just make out the future King of England, plotting his revenge."

In a later recollection, Harry alleged that William physically attacked him during an argument over Meghan in the kitchen of Nottingham Cottage, the home the Sussexes shared until 2019.

Harry wrote that William described Meghan as "rude" and "abrasive," and made his younger brother feel "a bit scared."

He wrote: "He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dogs' bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

William has not publicly responded to any of the allegations made by his brother in the Netflix show or memoir, in line with the blanket "no comment" stance adopted by King Charles.

Newsweek has approached Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace via email for comment.

Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed by Robert Jobson is published by John Blake in the United Kingdom, available now.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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