For months, King Charles III faced a “Joe Biden problem.” His Majesty, 77, undergoing chemotherapy, was inundated with reports from The Daily Beast and The Guardian that Buckingham Palace was updating his funeral plans.
Rightly upset, King Charles felt the leaks made him appear frail and near death. Sources said His Majesty worked to control or stop these damaging leaks about his health.
A royal staff member told The Telegraph, His Majesty is beside himself and added: “These new details about London Bridge, including that Harry and Meghan will be invited for central roles and that the mourning period will be shortened, had found their way to The Telegraph exclusively. There was a conversation with the palace’s communications team ahead of publication. Tobyn was very, very unhappy. He was involved directly and lobbied The Telegraph for more than 24 hours to try and influence the timing and terms of publication.”
Overshadowed: Charles Pushed to Second Fiddle
King Charles has been pushed to second fiddle in his own monarchy. He is sometimes seen in the background as his sister, Princess Anne, keeps calm and carries on like a soldier, earning the title of the hardest-working royal.
The King cannot compete with his sister because of his health. His Majesty has also had the spotlight stolen from him because he cannot dominate the media like the glamorous Kate Middleton and the smooth-talker and celebrity magnet, Prince William.
Prince William: The Man Running the Show
King Charles faced challenges from leaks in The Mail, where sources close to Prince William claimed he runs the show behind the scenes. Insiders say King Charles is slow or reluctant to tackle tough monarchical issues, such as the Prince Andrew scandal.
Yahoo sources said Prince William was the key figure during the Andrew crisis. The outlet claimed: “Now this is a future King. Emerging on the world stage is a fully directional William, already leading the Royal Family, intent on preserving the realm. Charles, it seems, has all but handed over the crown. He would prefer, as is his constitution, not to be embroiled in these messes, even as they pose existential threats to the future of the monarchy. William clearly has no such squeamishness. Charles reportedly relinquished some of his powers to his son because of his ailing health. At the same time, Prince William sees his dad as kind of weak and incapable of doing things the way he would do it to protect the monarchy. While King Charles was babying his brother [Andrew], giving him the benefit of the doubt, William was telling him to pump the brakes and kick him out. The source added, “Prince William is no-nonsense. He didn’t like the way his father was ruling.”
The King’s Resolute Defiance and Power Grab
Fully aware of Prince William’s contempt for his management or mismanagement, King Charles is ruthlessly defying his son and his doctors by maintaining a demanding public schedule to constantly assert his power as the reigning Monarch.
This determination is especially apparent after a lifetime of waiting for the throne; the resolute Monarch is fiercely guarding all symbols of kingship and firmly refuses to take instruction from anyone, ensuring he remains fully in control of his reign.
Sources close to the King explained to The Daily Beast: “King Charles knows that the ‘delicate’ father-son dynamic exacerbated by Prince William’s critical contempt, is ruthlessly refusing to fade into the background. Defying Prince William’s implied instructions and the alarm of his own doctors, the King insists on maintaining a full, demanding public schedule to assert his power.”
The insider bluntly added that the ruthless move towards Andrew is a clear message, obvious to his disgraceful brother but also to remind Prince William to get in line and stay in his lane, for he is king.
The source shared: “Having waited for the throne, Charles fiercely guards all symbols of kingship, including private audiences and photo calls, refusing to cede authority. He remains resolute: as monarch, he will not take instruction, firmly reasserting control of his reign.”
The competition is apparently on.
