11 Times Royal Fans Weren't Happy With Prince William

What's life without a little royal scandal every now and then? If the British royals were always prim and proper, they'd be no fun. Between Prince William and Prince Harry, the latter could arguably be assumed to be the most rambunctious. Prince Harry has been the subject of several controversial moments, many of which occurred because of his wild party days. But one should not overlook when Prince William danced his way into a scandal. Furthermore, the Prince of Wales has also weathered several less-amusing scandalous moments everyone has since forgotten about.

Every now and then, however, William manages to make headlines for something other than a royal flub. For instance, when he debuted a beard in September 2024, he had royal fans in a tizzy — the good kind. "The beard is [fire emoji]. Keep it!!!" one fan wrote on an Instagram post in which William could be seen sporting facial hair for the first time. "Prince William serving a whole GQ magazine bearded look and we love it!!!!" another added.

William scored some more brownie points with fans in May 2025 when he and Princess Catherine attended the naming ceremony for the Royal Navy's new warship. In a clip posted to Instagram, he and Catherine could be seen making their way past fans, and one excitedly told Catherine, "You're beautiful." Then, seemingly worried that William would feel left out, added, "You too, William!" People could be heard laughing at the comment, including the prince, who chuckled, "You don't have to say that, don't worry." It was a sweet moment, and while the Prince of Wales often makes hearts melt, he's also evoked royal fans' ire on a few occasions.

Prince William once behaved like a true fool while he and Princess Catherine were dating. The year was 2007, and the two were dealing with some relationship issues, so William thought it fitting to break up with his girlfriend of six years over the phone. At least, that's what royal biographer Robert Jobson says happened in his book, "Catherine, the Princess of Wales," writing, "Seemingly out of the blue, William — now a 2nd Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals — telephoned her to suggest that they split up." William's reason for wanting to split? The age-old excuse of needing "a bit of space." Apparently, the prince was feeling the heat to ask Catherine to marry him, and he wasn't ready, so he decided to break up with her instead.

Royal fans already know how this story ended — the two got back together and eventually tied the knot, but pundits have a long memory, and discussions about William's over-the-phone breakup sometimes make the rounds on social media. "He's lucky she took him back," one pundit wrote on X in response to a post about the brutal 2007 breakup. "Catherine rightfully made him run after herself," someone else tweeted.

Raising your children in the spotlight makes parentings much harder, and Prince William quickly learned this when he and Princess Catherine went on holiday without Prince George in 2014. The little prince was only 7 months old at the time.

William and Catherine enjoyed a trip to the Maldives while George stayed with Catherine's mother and his new nanny. It was a rather odd arrangement, and royal fans at the time were not happy. Many found the holiday extravagant and questioned whether the two royals really needed a vacation since they didn't seem to be doing much work at the time anyway. Others were more upset that the couple were willing to leave their 7-month-old child behind in the U.K. to take a trip.

Social media network Mumsnet was abuzz with disgruntled pundits. "Seriously? Think this might turn public opinion against them ... seems its just one long holiday for the D and D of Cambridge," one critic wrote (via the Daily Mail). Another added, "Can't imagine choosing to be so far from my baby for so long."

Practice what you preach — that's a mantra every famous person in the world would do well to remember, including Prince William. The royal made a critical error when he paid a visit to Spain in 2014, and hunted wild boar and deer during his stay. In an interesting turn, the prince had barely gotten back from the trip before announcing his plans to help conserve wildlife by nipping illegal hunting in the bud. William's hunting trip may have been legal, but it made his claim to conserve wildlife ring hollow.

In 2016, William found himself in a similar pickle when he justified commercial hunting, asserting it could be beneficial in some cases. "As that money goes back into protection of the species then it is a justifiable means of conserving species that are under serious threat," William said during an ITV News interview (via The Guardian). The prince faced a slew of criticism from wildlife charities after he made these comments, and royal fans weren't exactly happy with him either, criticizing the prince for continuing some of his hunting habits.

"This is Prince William the Patron of the British Trust of Ornithology with birds that he shot," a critic posted alongside an image on X in 2022. "Prince William went to Cape Town to lecture others on wildlife protection, yet he doesn't do the same at home — in fact, he continues to shoot birds out of the sky!" another pundit tweeted in 2024, adding photographic proof to their post. Even British actor Peter Egan called out the prince during an interview with Talk TV, saying his views on commercial hunting are "wrong."

Frequent public appearances are part of the royal job description, and Prince William was accused of being lazy when the public got wind of his engagement stats for 2015. They turned out to be woefully low at only 122. In stark contrast was his grandfather Prince Philip's number of engagements, which totaled a whopping 250.

The year 2023 saw the same accusations making the rounds once again, but this time it was Princess Anne who ran circles around her nephew where royal engagements were concerned. She managed to squeeze 300 more public engagements into her schedule than William that year — not exactly a good look, given she's almost twice his age. Royal commentator Gareth Russell told GB News that William's lack of public engagements could be attributed to the fact that he was prioritizing his young family at the time.

Royal fans were still merciless with their criticism, however. "They never wanted to work and are now crying because they are only used to go on holiday to recover from a previous holiday," one wrote on X in 2022. "That is a small part of why they dislike Meghan, she showed ready to work," tweeted another. "She was doing engagements before she was even married. She was the opposite of work shy."

In 2022, Prince William and Princess Catherine's well wishes to Princess Anne were criticized by some royal fans. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her daughter's birthday with a tweet that included a picture of a smiling Anne. William and Catherine soon followed with an X post of their own, which read, "Wishing a very happy birthday to The Princess Royal today!"

But fans immediately made it clear in the comments that they were displeased with the two royals. Why? Because they failed to add a picture of Anne to their post. Why was this a point of contention? Well, likely because earlier that month, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a birthday message for none other than Meghan Markle, and that one included a photograph of the duchess.

Pundits online were in uproar, pointing out that there are many photos of Princess Anne to choose from. "Should we post pics for them?" a royal follower asked on X. Someone else complained in a tweet, "You could have at least posted this with a photo!!! If the Markle lady could get one, The Princess Royal definitely deserved one too!"

Prince Harry's tell-all memoir "Spare" undoubtedly gave the royal household its fair share of headaches, and put Prince William in a particularly bad light. Harry painted his brother as a violent person when he detailed a physical fight that took place between them. The fact that he accused William of badmouthing his wife, Meghan Markle, during the encounter didn't exactly help. Harry claimed William called Meghan "difficult," "rude," and "abrasive." Harry didn't detail his response to William's words, but it made the Prince of Wales mad enough to take a go at his younger brother.

After the book was released, palace sources told People, "William is the one who is most upset and needs time to calm down. He has been painted as hotheaded and unsympathetic." Some pundits on team Harry made it clear that they were on the Duke of Sussex's side after the incident between the two brothers made headlines. Some fans even suggested that William attacked Harry when the latter made a jab at his older brother for cheating on Princess Catherine. Some felt that the disgruntled fans were taking it too far — after all, siblings are known to fight. But one pundit opined that the fight was inappropriate for a future monarch. "This isn't notable because of siblings wrestling," the X comment read. "It's notable because a supposed future king initiated physical violence against someone he was meant to be having a conversation with. These are grown men, not teens."

Word on the street is that Prince William wants his eldest son, Prince George, to follow in his footsteps where his schooling is concerned — William attended the posh, all-boys boarding school, Eton. Princess Catherine, however, who was bullied while she attended an all-girls school, isn't exactly jumping up and down with excitement over the idea, according to sources. "The Prince and Princess of Wales [have been] reportedly arguing and debating the decision for years," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard said while speaking to Fox News Digital.

Chard added that Catherine would much rather see George attend a co-ed school, preferably one that isn't as posh and exclusive as Eton. She's reportedly floated the idea of George attending her alma mater, Marlborough College. If George goes to Marlborough, he'll also have the option of being a day student instead of boarding at the school.

Some fans expressed concern at seeing George leaving home so young, with one pundit writing on Reddit, "I would be so sad to only have my children in my life full time for 12 years." Someone pointed out it's common in Britain to send kids to boarding school, even at a very young age, but others argued it's only common for the very rich.

Nothing makes for a better royal scandal than a good old cheating rumor, and unfortunately for Prince William, he's been caught at the center of one since 2019. It is worth noting, however, that even the most accomplished of internet sleuths have failed to find substantive evidence of said affair. But that hasn't kept some royal fans from feeling a little hostile toward the prince.

William has been accused of having a clandestine relationship with the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, Rose Hanbury. In Touch first ran with the story, which appears to have been removed from the site since — William apparently got his lawyers involved to shut down the salacious rumors. But, of course, the damage was done, and the rumors keep making a comeback when the royal least expects it. Both William and Hanbury have denied the rumors, which was quite a deviation from the royal family's tendency to stay quiet and let the media storm blow over. In fact, various outlets attempting to cover the affair allegations were reportedly shut down by the palace in an effort to keep the scandal-to-be under control.

Meanwhile, pundits took to X to voice their opinion, with some finding the affair rumors easy to believe given the royal family's rich history of divorce in the last couple of decades. One royal follower noted online that William was like his father, King Charles III, who famously cheated on Princess Diana with Camilla, Queen Consort. Another referred to all the attention and media coverage in the U.S. that the couple were getting following the supposed affair, which some fans argued have been a goal of the Wales duo after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made the continent their new home.

It's no secret that Prince Harry and Prince William have been locked in a years-long feud, so when the Prince of Wales wished his brother a happy 40th birthday in 2024, it raised some eyebrows. For those not informed on the drama, William hadn't publicly wished Harry a happy birthday for three years before the 2024 well wishes. This gap is thought to have been the result of Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, in which the couple put the royal family in a very bad light.

William and Princess Catherine's shared X account re-posted a birthday wish for the Duke of Sussex from the royal family's official X account, with the caption, "Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex!" Eagle-eyed pundits quickly pointed out that the royal family account's birthday message, which included a photograph of Harry laughing, was actually a snap of both Harry and Meghan, with the latter completely cropped out of the picture.

Some speculated that the message wasn't sincere. "I know you didn't wait a whole two hours to post this," one netizen tweeted, referring to the time that passed between the royal family account's birthday message and the Wales'. "As a matter of fact, I strongly believe you weren't going to. So tell us, were you pressured by Pa?" Another X post echoed what everyone else was thinking: "I hope you picked up the phone and actually made the call."

We all have our bad days, and so does Prince William. Rumor has it that the prince oftentimes loses his cool behind palace walls. "Occasionally, William has little tantrums and irritations if things aren't done the way he wants them done," royal author Tom Quinn told Fox News in 2025. "But Kate is very good at managing that in the same way that she manages the tantrums of their three children ... There's a joke among the staff that Kate treats William as the fourth because he occasionally behaves like one."

In his book, "Yes Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants", Quinn quotes various palace staff who have waited on William before. Some claim the prince is prone to outbursts if simple things, like his bath, aren't ready at the designated time every day. Naturally, Quinn's interview and book spawned various unflattering headlines, and royal watchers quickly took to X to weigh in with their two cents. "Willy is a tantrum-throwing toddler!" one netizen tweeted. Others voiced their concern over what kind of king William would make if this is the kind of behavior he engages in behind closed doors.

Prince William made himself one of the worst-dressed members of the royal family when he wore a blue suit to Pope Francis' funeral in 2025. The prince attended the ceremony in his father's stead, and some pundits thought his suit lacked some tact, especially given that President Donald Trump, who is as controversial as they come, was also wearing a blue suit.

"William and Trump wore blue suits to the Pope's state funeral. The monarchy has a tradition of mourning and wearing black for a specific period for the deaths of its members. The idea that William wouldn't know to wear black to such an event is ludicrous," one disgruntled royal follower penned on X. "I'm sure Trump and his party also knew and wore blue, hoping to stand out. They stand out alright, as disrespectful and temperamental children."

Fans might've been unhappy with William's choice of suit, but the dress code didn't explicitly state that men had to wear black suits, only that dark-colored attire is preferable. Lifestyle editor at Hello!, Nichola Murphy, concurred, "Dark blue and gray suits are also commonly worn by attendees paying their respects."