The whole “racist royals” newscycle around Omid Scobie’s Endgame overshadowed some of the fascinating stories Scobie wrote about. Notably, very few people have talked in-depth about the way Endgame makes it clear that King Charles and Prince William’s separate royal courts are constantly briefing against one another, and there’s always a lot of angst, anger and palace intrigue. William and Charles have never gotten along or any kind of traditional father-son bond. Pre-2017, we often talked about how Harry was much closer to Charles. Now that Charles is king and William is Prince of Wales, what is this whole thing going to look like for the rest of Charles’s reign? Imagine the dumbest power struggle ever. The Daily Beast’s Royalist column had some additional insight into Charles and William’s ever-changing dynamic. Some highlights:

The two royal courts: Concerns over how the two men’s vastly differing styles might clash have long vexed palace insiders. The two courts are very much separate entities with little regular day-to-day interaction other than exchanging diary dates. While Charles runs a traditional, buttoned-up operation, William and Kate Middleton encourage the use of first names, and strive for a more informal but still professional feel. As one former Palace employee who went between both courts in their role told The Daily Beast: “William and Kate would do things like give you two weeks off if your father died, while Charles’ office has a more workaholic vibe.” A courtier in Charles’ office once joked to The Daily Beast they didn’t have time to use the bathroom.

A not quite united front. Cracks and differences of opinion have nonetheless come to light: As recently as November, for example, it looked like William was flexing on his father when he told a reporter that when it comes to charitable causes he wants to “go a step further” than his family previously has and avoid spreading himself too “thin” and finding himself with “loads of causes that you sort of turn up and keep an eye on.” It was a pretty sharp rebuke of his father’s way of doing things. The comments fed a perception of steadily increasing tension between the courts of the new king and the heir apparent.

Competing agendas: Scobie says that the rival courts are now “hives of competing agendas and different ideas about how to modernize…behind closed doors, the King and the Prince of Wales are embracing very different approaches.” This is true, but friends of the king reject the suggestion that William is breaking precedent or behaving badly by having a strong, independent court. One said: “Charles absolutely wants William to plough his own furrow, he is encouraged to do so, just as he was.”

Unsubtle Peggington: However a former Buckingham Palace staffer told The Daily Beast: “I am sure they will butt heads as Charles is allergic to anyone telling him what to do, and William is not exactly famed for his subtlety. But I think it is broadly seen as a productive rivalry, rather than a destructive one, because William respects his father’s ‘rank’ as head of The Firm. Ultimately the monarchy is a hierarchical structure based on military principles, and when push comes to shove, you have to obey orders from your superiors. That’s what William and Kate understand, and Harry and Meghan could never accept. They would not do as they were told.”

William’s priority is his family: Given that Charles turned 75 recently, it is perhaps not entirely surprising that there have been regular suggestions by outsiders that he will or should stand down when he reaches his 80th birthday. But a friend of William’s said: “William and Catherine have three children under the age of 11, so that is very much their focus right now. William neither expects nor wants Charles to ever abdicate.”

William is simply more popular: Unfortunately for Charles, William and Kate consistently get stellar poll ratings in the mid-70s—and Charles is of course well known for his jealous streak.

William’s expectations: The king’s and Prince William’s offices did not comment to The Daily Beast about reports of tension between the two courts, but another friend of William and Kate said: “Of course William expects to be given more influence and control as the years go by. That’s how it works. It’s total rubbish to suggest that means they are at each other’s throats.”

[From The Daily Beast]

“Of course William expects to be given more influence and control as the years go by. That’s how it works.” Well… I think that says a lot, actually. Charles wasn’t “given” more influence and control, he went out and sought it and fought for it, even if it meant giving his mother Covid and controlling which staffers were around her. Charles’s de facto regency in QEII’s final years was something he actively pursued. William “expects” power. William feels he’s entitled to it, that it should be given to him and he won’t have to work for anything, ever. Charles is a dagger slipped into someone’s back – William is a chainsaw coming to lop off his father’s head.

“When push comes to shove, you have to obey orders from your superiors. That’s what William and Kate understand, and Harry and Meghan could never accept. They would not do as they were told.” What “orders” did Harry and Meghan disobey, pray tell? “Stop pursuing legal action against the Sun because that’s the publication paying William’s press secretary for information about you?”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace, Instar, Cover Images.