King Charles is known to “lose his temper in a split second” if his demands aren’t met, according to a new book by journalist Tom Quinn.
The 76-year-old monarch often snaps over minor issues and then quickly regrets it. While Charles and Queen Camilla generally treat their staff well, there are accounts of the King having “little bursts of irritation.”
The book offers insights into life in the royal household and was released on February 18.
The document discloses that Charles has very specific requirements for how jobs are completed, having previously raged in public over his pens not working. In addition to having preferences on how his toothpaste should be applied to his brush, the monarch was reported to have gotten upset if he wasn’t handed the “right teacup.”
According to a passage taken from Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, one servant remembers:
“Charles and Camilla do treat their staff well, but you always feel that they would no more fly without an aeroplane than invite you to have tea with them.
“And Charles does have little bursts of irritation with his staff – perhaps he hasn’t been given exactly the right teacup, perfectly polished shoes and toothpaste neatly squeezed on to his toothbrush in exactly the way he likes it. He loses his temper in a split second but usually quickly regrets it.”
In 2022, while signing the visitors’ book at Hillsborough Castle, Charles expressed frustration with a leaky pen, saying, “I can’t bear this bloody thing.” Days earlier, during his coronation, he angrily signaled for an attendant to move an ink pot.
Additionally, lip readers noted that he complained, “We can never be on time,” while waiting in a coach outside Westminster Abbey before the ceremony.
