The key claims from the controversial new Prince Charles biography indy100 indy100 Indy100 logoNewsletter sign upRegister/Sign inTop 100NewsViralPoliticsCelebritiesScience & TechVideoWishlistWishlistBooksFashion & BeautyFood & DrinkHome & GardenKidsSports & FitnessTechTravel & OutdoorsMoreScience & techVideoConversationsSportIdentitiesLifestyleShowbizTVSearchxCelebrities

The key claims from the controversial new Prince Charles biography

Katie GrantFeb 03, 2015 The author of a controversial biography which claims the Prince of Wales’s household is riddled with in-fighting has defended her book following accusations that she exaggerated the amount of access she had to the Prince. The latest instalment of Charles: The Heart of a King, by Time magazine journalist Catherine Mayer, claims the Queen is afraid her son’s activism could redefine the monarchy in a way the public will not tolerate. “In defining his role as heir apparent, the prince has signalled a redefinition of the monarchy,” Ms Mayer writes in the book, serialised in The Times (£). “Some courtiers – and the sovereign herself – fear that neither the Crown nor its subjects will tolerate the shock of the new.” Here are the key claims from the biography so far:

1 While Charles is dubbed The Boss by staff the book says he is insecure and identifies with Baldrick the downtrodden servant in Blackadder

2 Staff at Clarence House know him as the Prince of Wails for his temper and pessimistic outlook

3 He is hampered by existential angst about the future Far from itching to assume the crown he is already feeling its weight and worrying about its impact on the job he has been doing Catherine Mayer has written

4 He is driven to get involved in national affairs because of the guilty privilege of his birth

5 He dreads the idea of the death of his parents and suffers at times from profound despondency

6 He still grieves for the Queen Mother his grandmother and his great-uncle Earl Mountbatten murdered by the IRA

7 Clarence House officials call the wealthy guests that donate to his causes Bond villains

8 He is driven by frugality and wraps up leftovers from meals and has them served to him the next time he eats

9 One of his burning ambitions is to overhaul the honours system to make it more egalitarian and modern

10 He has a profound ability to imitate others and is likened to the comedian Rory Bremner according to Mayer

More: How to mute mentions of the royal baby on Twitter (after this article)

Restauranteur who banned Corden says now feels ' really sorry for him'

Kanye West just applied for a trademark for a very NSFW phrase

Lisa Gilroy' s sad story about rude fans goes viral but there' s a twist

Please log in or register to upvote this article

Top 100

Who won today' s PMQs Truss tells Starmer she' s ' a fighter not a quitter'

prime minister's questionspmqsliz trusskeir starmerprime minister's questions2h

Elon Musk reportedly thought that Grimes was not real

elon muskgrimescelebritiesspacexteslaelon musk5h

Just Stop Oil protester praised for ' great' explanation of soup stunt

just stop oilvan goghprotestclimate activistsjust stop oil5h

Man endures ' 29 hour flight' with screaming kids for the entire trip

flightplanechildflightOct 12, 2022

Lorraine Kelly hits out at Madonna' s ' boiled egg' face

madonnamadonnalorraine kellygmbshowbizplastic surgeryOct 11, 2022

Elon Musk is actually selling a ' Burnt Hair' fragrance

elon muskthe boring companyperfumeelon muskburnt hairOct 12, 2022

Couple spark debate for ' scandalous' wedding cake topper

wedding caketiktokwedding cakeviralOct 12, 2022

Love Island star shows extent of how far influencers edit photos

Love IslandLove IslandinfluencersshowbizOct 11, 2022

Jon Stewart slams Arkansas attorney general for her ' anti-trans law'

lgbt+Oct 11, 2022

Steven Seagal describes Putin as one of ' greatest world leaders'

steven seagalOct 10, 2022

Lizzo wears empowering shirt after being fat-shamed by Kanye West

lizzoOct 10, 2022

14 of the worst things the Tories did this week

liz trussOct 08, 2022

M People' s Mike Pickering was ' appalled' hearing Liz Truss used song

Liz TrussOct 06, 2022

Why Elon Musk once gave $1m to Mr Beast

mrbeastOct 05, 2022The Conversation (0)