For 70 years and 214 days the late Queen Elizabeth never let emotion overcome, sadly the same can’t be sad for her son, King Charles III!
Just two days into his reign, King petulance was on show around the world when he was caught losing his temper over a leaking pen and a messy desk during a signing ceremony in Northern Ireland and according to palace insiders, things are only set to get worse with the pressure of organising his coronation adding to his already hectic schedule.
Now, insiders say the King’s famous temper, which has been described by a former member of Charles’ household as going from “zero to 60 in a flash”, is already starting to fray.
King Charles is going from “zero to 60 in a flash”
(Image: Getty)Woman’s Day’s insiders confirm the King is acting something like a bear with a sore head at the minute.
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“Losing his mother, becoming king, planning a coronation and dealing with family tensions has been hard for him,” the source explains, noting that while most of his longtime staff know when a tantrum is coming, newer ones are still learning to read the signs.
“It’s stressful, and everyone’s just trying to muddle along”.
Last week Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles III will be crowned beside Queen Consort Camilla in a ceremony held at Westminster Abbey on Saturday May 6. But even something as simple as picking a date has taken a month to finalise adding to the mounting tension with the Palace.
“Charles went back and forth over this for eons,” says a source.
Insiders reveal Charles wanted to have it early June to mirror his mother’s magnificent coronation, but there were too many diary clashes with the Epsom Derby and FA Cup.
“He had to settle for May, but he wasn’t happy about it and made that known – especially as it’s now on the same day as his grandson Archie’s 4th birthday, which he knows will give Meghan and Harry more ammunition against him,” muses the source.
Planning the coronation has been very stressful.
(Image: Getty)While palace sleuths reveal Charles has “many demands” about how the sacred ceremony should look and feel, the UK’s ongoing cost of living crisis has caused him to scale back his grand plans, something that has seen backlash from those who think the future king should be celebrating the pomp and pageantry of the occasion.
Behind the scenes Charles is feeling the pressure of balancing the ancient and time-consuming rituals, which dates back more than 1,000 years, whilst also recognizing the “spirit of our times”.
Undoubtedly the biggest headache of all is the guest list, which has reportedly been slashed from 8,000 to 2,000 causing Charles to have to leave out a large proportion of his celebrity friends, as well as some key family members.
The coronation will be smaller than Queen Elizabeth’s.
(Image: Getty)Rumours are currently swirling over which of the royal family will attend, with doubts over whether Prince Harry and Meghan will even be invited, or if they are, whether they would even chose to fly from California. It’s not gone unnoticed that Charles has picked their son Archie’s fourth birthday to hold the special ceremony.
“Harry and Meghan will definitely take this as a snub,” says a source.
“They can’t believe Charles would do such a thing, especially when there’s so much chatter over whether he’ll allow the Sussex children to be prince and princess. Even if he does invite the Sussexes, Harry will be far too proud to accept, especially after this.”
And while Charles is onboard with his “cut-price” coronation in theory, it doesn’t mean he’s not making demands behind the scenes.
“Charles is being a real diva about the coronation – he still wants it to be the event of the century, whilst not annoying a nation who are suffering from the cost of living crisis. His aides are caught in the nightmare position of having to constantly remind him to keep within the budget,” insiders have revealed.
Royal sources have revealed Charles has become difficult to work with over his custom-made suits for his coronation and “isn’t happy with any of them”. Adding, “he will keep hiring and firing designers until they get it right”.
The King’s meltdown over clothing and ceremonial pageantry is in stark contrast to the fact one in five people in the UK are currently living in poverty. While there’s been plenty of critics, it’s a tough line to toe for Charles who is said be utterly conflicted about how to approach the landmark day.
While many are skeptical of the “necessity” of the day, there is without a doubt from royal watchers that this an opportunity to put the very best of Britain on show.
