It’s particularly crazy that I expected Tina Brown’s royal book to be the big tea-spilling tell-all which would drive royal gossip for weeks, and it turns out that all of the actual royal tea is in Robert Jobson’s biography of Prince William. As soon as the description of Jobson’s book – William at 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch – came out, we realized that something might be up. Jobson describes William as “off-hand and volatile” and lacking in deference towards his father and grandmother. Jobson’s book has been excerpted in the Daily Mail, and now we can see Jobson’s whole game here. Under the guise of lavishing William with praise, Jobson is (accidentally?) telling the truth about William’s racism, his verbal abuse of family and staff, his hypocrisy and his deeply temperamental nature, all of which is a blaring alarm that William is a huge problem, a bomb waiting to go off in the heart of the monarchy. Some highlights:

Charles finds both of his sons moody: To this day, Charles admits he often finds it difficult to gauge both William and Harry’s occasionally unpredictable moods. ‘They both have quite extreme mood swings, just as Diana did,’ said a former courtier. ‘She could be your best friend one minute and the next your worst enemy.’

William’s short fuse: In private, the Duke of Cambridge has a notably short fuse. His fiery temper can blow up at any time – usually when he’s frustrated or when it comes to issues regarding his family. Even senior members of his circle will ‘check which way the wind is blowing’ before becoming too self-assured in his presence or raising problematic issues that might be better addressed at another time. Other insiders confide that William can be an emotional character who is, on occasion, ‘difficult to handle’.

William & Kate fight too: In common with many other established couples, he and Catherine – whom he married in 2011 but has been dating since around 2003 – are known to have heated exchanges from time to time. ‘He can be a bit of a shouter when he loses it,’ one close aide admitted. ‘It’s fair to say the Duke and the Duchess give as good as they get if their disagreement results in raised voices. But they know each other so well, it usually blows over quickly – and she is, on the whole, a major calming influence on him.’ Friends say the key to the marriage’s success is that it’s an equal partnership – even if that involves the occasional blistering row. ‘They’ve got a solid relationship and she gives him confidence,’ one says. ‘There is no jealousy, no friction – they are happy for each other’s successes.’

William’s belligerence & lack of deference: Sometimes, the level of William’s belligerence has shocked his father, who’s always loathed confrontation. The result is that Charles tends to tread carefully when dealing with his heir, and fails to pull him up on his lack of respect. As a senior former member of the Royal Household explains, William sometimes appears to forget that there’s a hierarchy in which he ranks below his father. ‘When it comes to his father, it is as if William thinks they are, as direct heirs to the throne, on a level.’ Another well-placed source agreed: ‘Deference doesn’t appear to be in his vocabulary when it comes to his father.’

On the Meghan-bullying-staff stories: The stories alarmed William, who has always tried to be polite and cordial to those who work for him. On the rare occasions he’s exploded, he’s always apologised afterwards.

William’s simmering resentment: During an official tour of Southern Africa, Harry spoke publicly for the first time about his strained relationship with his brother. At the time, William kept silent but staff were aware of his simmering resentment. ‘To say William felt deeply let down would be an understatement. He wasn’t sure if he could ever fully trust his brother again,’ said one member of his circle.

The Sussexit: William, meanwhile, was said to be seething. After the summit, he went for a long walk with his brother to try to clear the air – but they did not part friends.

Who spoke to Harry about the baby’s skin color? So who said it? The couple subsequently ruled out the Queen and Prince Philip, and I can also rule out Prince Charles. I’ve been told who was responsible, and I’m convinced the remark was made during a light-hearted exchange. As one source told me: ‘It was not meant to be taken seriously, and the entire situation has been taken out of context. What followed is frankly unfair and appalling.’ Not surprisingly, Harry’s remarks infuriated William. ‘We are very much not a racist family,’ he told reporters afterwards.

[From The Daily Mail]

I mean… wow, this is supposed to be a “nice” biography of William ahead of his 40th birthday. Just the idea that William would get his panties in a bunch about the vague reports that Meghan “bullied staff,” when it sounds like William has the franchise on that completely. It sounds like he terrorizes his staff and all underlings, throwing tantrums and screaming with little to no provocation. The thing about William and Kate screaming at each other too… well, at least we know why Kate’s birthday message was that William is an unhinged, temperamental crybaby and only she can soothe him. Meanwhile, Jobson basically confirms that William was the one who said sh-t to Harry about the baby’s skin color. Which I think all of us knew already, but thanks to William’s biographer for confirming it!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Instar.