Prince William reportedly has a “ruthless personality” and “holds a grudge” against those who oppose him or support his brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle.
Several royal experts have criticized Prince William’s hot-tempered personality after his recent declaration of devotion to the Church of England, now led by Sarah Mulally, despite his previous relationship with Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.
“For many years at Lambeth Palace, Justin and his team tried hard to meet Prince William, only for a wall of silence to crumble,” expert Roya Nikka told Times Radio earlier this week, according to the Daily Mail.
“William is certainly someone who holds grudges and he does pick sides. If someone picks the other side, he remembers it,” she added.
The rift between William and Welby probably has something to do with his relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry and Meghan sought Mr. Welby’s guidance and shared intimate details with him, Mr. Nikka said.
In 2021, the former royal couple also revealed in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey that Welby secretly married before their lavish ceremony.
But expert Richard Fitzwilliams says Prince William’s allegedly mean behavior isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the royal family.
“William is our future king. Thankfully he has a ruthless personality, because that’s needed in today’s world, especially in the monarchy, which is one of the most supervised institutions,” Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail.
“He is clearly an excellent judge of character and deserves praise for his diplomatic skills. An example of his foresight is the way he handled Justin Welby’s contacts with Lambeth Palace when he was Archbishop of Canterbury.”
“Welby befriended Harry and Meghan during their wedding preparations in 2018. However, Meghan claimed to Oprah that they first married in a secret ceremony in their ‘backyard,'” the former archbishop continued to deny this claim in Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
The archbishop officially resigned from the church in November 2024 for failing to report British barrister John Smith, who is accused of decades of abuse against hundreds of men and boys, the BBC reported.
“His bizarre resignation speech in the House of Lords was condemned as ‘frivolous’ and ‘offensive’ and he had to apologize,” Mr Fitzwilliams told the magazine.
“William was absolutely right to secure contact and keep him at arm’s length with his potential successor, Sarah Mulally, who might one day be crowned. William’s ‘quiet faith’ would resonate in modern England.”
The Prince of Wales’ anger reportedly extends far beyond the former archbishop, and is also felt by former friends such as journalist Tom Bradby and family members including Prince Harry and Markle, uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
“He and Duchess Kate have not met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral,” Fitzwilliams explained.
He added: “The brothers are not believed to have spoken since then. The rift stemmed from them bashing the monarchy for personal gain after stepping down as senior working royals.”
“This was horrific and rightfully so. He has not forgotten or forgiven this harmful and outrageous act.”
Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
