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    King Charles's "Hot Temper Flared" Amid a "Creeping Sloppiness" at Buckingham Palace Following Queen Elizabeth's Death, Per Royal Biographer

    "It's being run like a hotel, and not a very good one."

    Amy Mackelden#039;s avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 25 September 2026 In News

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    King Charles is in side profile and has white gray hair while wearing a gray pinstripe suit while his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, wears a turquoise blue coat dress and matching hat
    (Image credit: Getty Images/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
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    When Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, King Charles acceded the throne. Despite having prepared for this eventuality for his whole life, become King was likely a huge undertaking. And according to one royal biographer, King Charles's "hot temper flared" for an unexpected reason following his mother's death.

    In the book The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal, and Survival, royal expert Robert Jobson revealed, "Some close to the Crown have grown uneasy over what they described as a creeping 'sloppiness' within the palace."

    The biographer continued, "They highlighted shabby cover-ups that have rattled even seasoned courtiers. Whispers suggest The King has been ill-served by senior aides who have let standards slip since the passing of Queen Elizabeth."

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    King Charles was also reportedly keen to implement change within the Royal Family and at Buckingham Palace after taking over.

    King Charles waving in his coronation robes next to Prince George

    King Charles was keen to implement change at Buckingham Palace after taking over.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

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    Per Jobson, "When he finally took the helm, he was surprised at the way Buckingham Palace was being run and demanded immediate change."

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    The biographer continued, "His action plan was met with pushback from the old guard of high-ranking courtiers and increasingly frustrated, he confided dismissively to friends about the palace, 'It's being run like a hotel, and not a very good one.'"

    Unfortunately, the new King "felt thwarted at every turn" after taking the throne. "Enough was enough," Jobson noted. "Irritated by senior palace officials dragging their feet, his hot temper flared."

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    Queen Elizabeth II presents Prince Charles, Prince of Wales with the Royal Horticultural Society#039;s Victoria Medal of Honour during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show on May 18, 2009 in London.

    "When he finally took the helm, he was surprised at the way Buckingham Palace was being run..."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Following The King's outburst, "subtle changes followed," per Jobson.

    Clearly, it took some time for King Charles to cultivate the atmosphere and work ethic he wanted instilled at Buckingham Palace.

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    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

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