It felt like the entire universe was conspiring against King Charles when he was just trying to sign some documents. And that's not the only time a member of the British royal family has made headlines for the wrong reasons.
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00:00It felt like the entire universe was conspiring against King Charles when he was just trying
00:06to sign some documents.
00:08And that's not the only time a member of the British royal family has made headlines for
00:12the wrong reasons.
00:14In the early 90s, Princess Diana had more than one thing to be upset about.
00:20She was on the verge of separating from then-Prince Charles, whose affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles
00:26had left her feelings silenced.
00:28Furthermore, she was struggling with the relentlessness of the press.
00:32While discussing why her marriage disintegrated in a 1995 interview with the BBC, she recalled,
00:38"'There were three of us in this marriage, and the pressure of the media was another
00:43factor, so the two together were very difficult.'"
00:46So it was hardly a surprise in 1992 when Diana publicly lost her temper with Charles on a
00:52trip to Jaipur, India.
00:54She was expected to present her husband with a little blue box.
00:58He tried to plant a performative kiss on her lips, but she quickly turned her head.
01:04Cameras then shuttered like wild.
01:06In the documentary, Diana, A Dangerous Game, royal expert Ingrid Seward explained,
01:12"'She moved her head away, which was the classic picture because this is a woman who
01:17is just longing to humiliate her husband, and she humiliated him in front of the world
01:22because the picture went all over the world.'"
01:25On June 15, 1987, Prince Edward organized an ill-fated televised fundraiser called the
01:32Grand Knockout Tournament.
01:35From a fundraising perspective, the event was actually successful.
01:38With 18 million viewers tuning in, the program ultimately raised £1.5 million for charity.
01:46However, from a public relations perspective, it was a disaster, in no small part due to
01:52Edward's on-camera behavior.
01:54The trouble started after filming wrapped up, and Edward went to the press room to address
01:59the media.
02:00As journalist Richard Kaye recalled in the documentary, Edward and Sophie, the Reluctant
02:06Royals,
02:07"'The media were all invited, but we were not invited to actually watch the event because
02:12it was being filmed behind closed doors.
02:15And there was a press conference at the end of filming, and Edward dashed in."
02:20Edward then proceeded to ask the press if they enjoyed the event, and the room of journalists
02:24stared at him in bewildered silence.
02:27The prince was so bothered by this that he proceeded to unforgettably lose his temper,
02:33as he sarcastically declared to reporters,
02:35"'One of these days, you lot are going to have to learn some manners.'"
02:39"'Well, thanks for sounding so bloody enthusiastic.
02:43What have you been doing in here all day?'
02:45Unfortunately for the prince, the embarrassment of the moment stuck with him for quite a while.
02:51"'It all backfired spectacularly.'"
02:55Princess Diana famously struggled with persistent media attention until the very end of her
03:00life.
03:01She was followed on the ski slopes, to the south of France, and even once to the gym,
03:06where she was photographed with a hidden camera.
03:09As she famously stated in a groundbreaking 1995 BBC interview,
03:14"'I can't tolerate it because it's become abusive and it's harassment.'"
03:18So it's not exactly surprising that Diana eventually lost her temper with the paparazzi.
03:24One video from around the time of her divorce from Charles features her being stalked on
03:28a Caribbean vacation.
03:30She stepped out of her car, faced the paparazzi, and promptly lost her cool, as she told the
03:36photographers to get lost.
03:38She then approached them and waved her arms, as if she was shooing pigeons away.
03:43While public frustration can be considered unbecoming, it's not hard to believe that
03:48Diana was justified in this case.
03:51After all, as her son Prince Harry recalled in the BBC documentary, Diana, the press played
03:57a major role in his mother's death, as the paparazzi continued to take photos of her
04:03even while she was dying in a car.
04:06As Diana was far from the only royal who resented the press, her former brother-in-law,
04:11Prince Edward, was also frustrated by how the British media zeroed in on royal life.
04:17In 1993, he garnered significant tabloid attention when he began dating his future wife, Sophie,
04:24Duchess of Edinburgh.
04:26At the time, the public was desperate for a sliver of positive news following the separation
04:32of Charles and Diana, as Julie Montagu divulged in Edward and Sophie, The Reluctant Royals.
04:38The press loves a good royal wedding, so, of course, the press does what it does best.
04:44And that's starting to speculate.
04:47When is Prince Edward going to propose to Sophie?
04:50"...the tabloid press are insisting the couple are preparing to announce their engagement
04:54in the next few months."
04:55Thus, Edward faced mounting pressure to propose to his girlfriend.
04:59Ultimately, the scrutiny became too much for him to bear.
05:03In a 1996 interview with Radio Times, he severely lost his temper, as he declared,
05:09"'If you shut up, mind your own business, and let me do it when I want, it's much more
05:15likely to happen.
05:16The more people second-guess, the less likely it is.
05:20I just won't do it.
05:21There is little escape for anyone in the public eye.'"
05:24The late Prince Philip took things even further than his son did when he cursed at photographers
05:30during a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2015.
05:36He was expected to pose for pictures along with several veterans.
05:41But as the photographers were taking their time setting up the perfect shot, the prince
05:45began to lose his patience, as he grumbled,
05:48"'I'm not going to pose for pictures, I'm going to f----- with a picture.'"
05:52The clip also captured Prince William's reaction, as he tried to stifle a giggle at his grandfather's
05:58indiscretion.
06:00Interestingly enough, this wasn't the only time that Philip lost his temper in public.
06:05In 1997, he reportedly cursed at a Cambridge University car attendant for failing to recognize
06:11him, as he called him a
06:13"'bloody silly fool.'"
06:15And on numerous other occasions, Philip has made comments that reflected his lack of a
06:20filter.
06:22As reported by The Guardian, he once attended a wildlife protection event, where he asked
06:27a fashion worker,
06:28"'You're not wearing mink knickers, are you?'
06:32And when talking about death, he once reportedly stated,
06:35"'In the event that I'm reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, to contribute
06:42something to solving overpopulation.'"
06:45Unlike his grandfather, Prince William seems to be highly aware of his duty to represent
06:50the crown appropriately.
06:52As royal expert Clive Irving noted on the Channel 4 documentary, Queen Elizabeth, Love,
06:58Honor, and Crown,
07:00"'The Queen has this very clear, dedicated sense of duty.
07:04All those around her never measure up to that at any point.
07:08I think you have to go to William to find somebody who seems to have the same sense
07:12of what it means.'"
07:14And for the most part, William has largely avoided scandal.
07:18But despite that sterling reputation, there was one time when he truly lost his temper.
07:25He was out with his children enjoying a bike ride on the Sandringham Estate when he spotted
07:30a photographer in their vicinity.
07:32He reportedly rushed to his children's defense and told off the paparazzi.
07:37As royal expert Robert Jobson explained on an episode of The Royal Beat,
07:42"...William went steaming over and really ripped him off and told him what he thought.
07:47He is fiercely protective of his children, and that's right, everyone has their moments."
07:52From a certain perspective, Princes William and Harry might seem like dueling brothers
07:58who have little in common, but they're both clearly protective fathers.
08:02"'We're brothers, we'll always be brothers.
08:04We're certainly on different paths at the moment, but I will always be there for him
08:07and as I know he'll always be there for me.'"
08:09Harry's protectiveness was abundantly clear in 2019 when Harry was on tour in Morocco.
08:15During the trip, he and his wife Meghan Markle enjoyed some local food in front of the cameras.
08:21But things quickly turned sour when one aggressive cameraman bumped a child with his equipment.
08:27Harry promptly lost his temper and even got a bit physical.
08:31The prince marched over to where the cameraman was standing, placed his hands on the camera
08:36lens, and pushed it back.
08:38Harry then motioned for the cameraman to back off and stared at him angrily.
08:42Once the cameraman stepped away, the prince proceeded to check on the boy and give him
08:47a pat on the arm.
08:48This incident foreshadowed the protective attitude that Harry would eventually adopt
08:53with his own children.
08:54As the prince vowed in the documentary Harry and Meghan, An African Journey,
08:59"'I will always protect my family.
09:02I will not be bullied into a game that was responsible for killing my mother.'"
09:07Princess Catherine is known as a fashion icon with a pristine reputation, but that doesn't
09:12mean she isn't human.
09:14Like plenty of other mothers, the Princess of Wales has occasionally lost her temper
09:19while dealing with rebellious toddlers.
09:22When Catherine's sister Pippa got married in 2017, Prince George was the designated
09:27page boy.
09:28He was thus responsible for leading the other children in throwing confetti in front of
09:33the newlywed couple following the ceremony.
09:36Alas, it didn't exactly go as planned.
09:39Photos published in the Daily Mirror show that George was sulking during the confetti
09:44phase of the wedding, and he may have even stepped on his aunt's bridal dress.
09:49Naturally enough, his mom sprang into action and scolded her young son.
09:54Besides this incident, Catherine hasn't been spotted disciplining her children in public
09:59very often.
10:00She's generally known for taking a less severe approach to her kids' social education, as
10:06she avoids traditional punishments.
10:08Instead, William and Catherine reportedly prefer to correct their kids' behavior through
10:14conversation.
10:15As one royal source told The Sun in 2020,
10:18"'Things are explained and consequences outlined, and they never shout at them.'"
10:24Many senior members of the royal family live a rather luxurious life, thanks to a team
10:29of employees that cater to their every need.
10:33And King Charles III's staff is reportedly known to be kept particularly busy.
10:39In the Amazon Prime documentary Serving the Royals, Inside the Firm, Princess Diana's
10:45former butler Paul Burrell listed several of the tasks assigned to the monarch's staff.
10:51As he revealed,
10:52"'His pajamas are pressed every morning.
10:55His shoelaces are pressed flat with an iron.
10:58The bath plug has to be in a certain position, and the water temperature has to be just tepid.'"
11:05Perhaps as a result of all this pampering, Charles has been known to lose his temper
11:09when things don't go exactly according to plan.
11:14One public example of this occurred when he grabbed a pen that started to leak.
11:18He was so upset that he couldn't help but vent some frustration.
11:23"'I will not bear this ungodly humiliation.'"
11:26Unfortunately, Charles' public outburst wasn't exactly well-received by everyone.
11:31In an interview with GB News, royal expert Paul Dudridge analyzed the public's reaction,
11:38and apparently not even huge monarchists could defend Charles' behavior.
11:43According to Dudridge,
11:44"'Supporters of the UK and the Royal Family are kind of shocked at the seeming petulance.'"
11:51The pen incident wasn't the only time that Charles made headlines for the wrong reasons.
11:56During a 2022 visit to Wales, he and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, toured the soccer
12:02club Wrexham AFC.
12:04Afterwards, they performed a royal walkabout, during which they greeted crowds of adoring
12:10fans.
12:11Alas, Camilla seemed to linger at the event a little too long for the king's liking.
12:17In a moment captured on camera, Charles could be seen losing his temper and complaining
12:22to his staffers about Camilla.
12:24As he asked in exasperation,
12:25"'Can we try to get her back again?
12:28We need to go.
12:29I was trying to wait for her, but she goes on.'"
12:32Ironically enough, Camilla isn't the only one who can get too chatty on official visits,
12:38as Charles reportedly also has a reputation for running late.
12:43According to the book Elizabeth by Camilla and Charles' friend Giles Brandreth, the Queen
12:48Consort even has a strategy to get her husband to hurry up.
12:52As Brandreth revealed,
12:54"'When he is running late or talking too much, she tugs discreetly at the back of his jacket,
13:00sometimes quite vigorously.'"
13:02But Brandreth also noted that Camilla helps Charles on his bad days.
13:07As he wrote,
13:08"'When he gets touchy, she soothes him, putting out a hand and kneading him gently in the
13:13small of his back.'"