A new biography, authored by royal expert Sally Bedell Smith, claims Prince Charles was “more than a little irked” by Prince William and Duchess Catherine in the months after their wedding.
According to the veteran Vanity Fair journalist, it was the couple’s first official tour of North America that set off the king-in-waiting.
Remember those photos of Wills and Kate posing in full-cowboy ensembles – the belts, the hats, the plaid shirts, the pearly whites?
It appears Charles wasn’t a fan of the light-hearted pics.
During the tour, the newlyweds showed off a more down-to-earth side.
In fact, the 68-year-old thought the 10-day trip featured too many “tasteless” photo opportunities and was particularly annoyed that the newlyweds treated the official trip as a personal vacation.
The tour, which was widely agreed to be a success for the British Royal Family as a whole, was planned by Kevin S. MacLeod, Canadian Secretary to the Queen.
It’s reported that the secretary allowed the couple to design a rather informal itinerary in comparison to that of previous royal tours — including a visit to Prince Edward Island at Kate’s specific request.
Charles had visited Canada just two years prior and was not afforded the same opportunity.
With this in mind, the explosive new book, which is titled Prince Charles: ‘The misunderstood Prince’, attributes Charles’ disapproval to jealousy.
“Charles felt overshadowed by Diana and now it seems he feels overshadowed by their son. Some people may think he is jealous. I have always felt that as soon as William got married, Charles would feel sidelined,” Sally Bedell Smith pens.
Catherine’s Marilyn Monroe moment during the 2011 made headlines across the world.
Kate and Wills certainly stole the show when they visited Paris last month.
The royal duo kicked off their brief two-day visit to the City of Lights with a meet and greet on the steps of the Elysee Palace.
William, 34, was seen to happily engage in a bi-lateral chat with the country’s leader, President Francois Hollande, as the group posed for photographs ahead of retiring into the Elysee for a short reception.
Despite the father and son’s rumoured tensions over their first tour of Canada, Prince Charles shares a close bond with both of his sons and adores being a grandfather to Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Despite his rift with the Cambridges, Charles is still very close to them.
