King Charles’ long-serving employees in the Royal Household have detected a big ‘change’ in the monarch’s temperament, a royal author has claimed.
Charles has been king for just over three years after being the longest heir apparent in the UK’s history.
Not long into his reign the monarch was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer, which according to royal expert Robert Jobson has led to a marked change in his behaviour.
Writing in new book The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal and Survival, he says: “Indeed, his longer-serving staff have detected a change in their employer, whom they feel could occasionally seem rather cold.
“He’s now become more emotional, they say.
“Not only that, but he’s changed some of the habits that once seemed set in stone – largely due to advice from Dr Michael Dixon, a seasoned NHS GP and advocate of complementary medicine who was appointed head of the Royal Medical Household after Queen Elizabeth’s death.
“William, too, has urged his father to slow down and listen to his medical team.”
Charles underwent a “corrective procedure” at the London Clinic to treat benign prostate enlargement in January 2024.
During the course of that procedure, Buckingham Palace announced that cancer had been discovered, but that it was not prostate cancer.
His public-facing duties were postponed until April as he recovered from treatment to battle the disease. Charles has since altered his lifestyle in a number of ways, according to Jobson. He reportedly now takes regular afternoon naps.
And he’s started having lunch again after skipping the meal for most of his life. This often consists of spinach soup. The monarch reportedly often jokes with friends about reaching that “worryingly decrepit stage” of his life.
Despite this, he has continued to work hard while continuing his cancer treatment. Alongside this Queen Camilla has stepped up the number of royal engagements she carries out.
Charles is still receiving regular treatment for his cancer and was briefly hospitalised in March 2025 after experiencing temporary side effects during his treatment.
To add insult to injury for the Royal Family, Princess Kate revealed her own cancer diagnosis shortly after Charles’ was made public.
Meanwhile, according to Jobson Prince William and his father “generally work well together” although he claims there is “often an underlying tension between them”.
The royal author said: “It doesn’t help that both have a fiery temper that’s not always held in check. Working for Charles, some staff say, can be like ‘treading on eggshells’.
“They point to the time Charles caught Covid – for the second time – in February 2022. Then still the Prince of Wales, he was at Clarence House, preparing to head to Highgrove for the weekend, when the two dreaded blue lines appeared.
“But when he was told he couldn’t travel to his country retreat, he was incandescent. Frustrated, he even threatened to drive himself down the M4. Alarmed royal aides, fearing a breach of strict nation-wide rules, decided they had to act to prevent a possible calamity – so they hid his car keys.
“Eventually, Charles cooled off and stayed put in London, sticking to the government guidelines until he was symptom-free.”