A Timeline Of Prince William And King Charles' Rocky Relationship

From the moment Prince William entered the world, it was clear he held a special place in King Charles' heart. As the heir to the throne, William was the golden child, while Prince Harry was reportedly left to navigate life as the proverbial spare. Groomed from birth to one day lead the monarchy, William's path to the crown has always seemed inevitable — but his rocky relationship with Charles has complicated the journey.

Charles couldn't contain his joy when William was born, practically writing poetry about it to his godmother, Patricia Brabourne. "The arrival of our small son has been an astonishing experience and one that has meant more to me than I ever could have imagined," he wrote (via Newsweek). "As so often happens in this life, you have to experience something before you are in a true position to understand or appreciate the full meaning of the whole thing."

But as the years went on, Charles' preference for William over Harry became glaringly obvious. "Charles increasingly saw William as a safe pair of hands and Harry as too emotionally unstable," royal expert Tom Quinn told The Mirror. "Deep down, Harry knows this and he deeply resents it."

But don't think being daddy's favorite means smooth sailing for William. Even with Harry out of the picture (and across the Atlantic), tensions between Charles and William haven't exactly faded. If anything, they've been simmering for years. A closer look at their relationship shows it's been far from perfect since day one — and time hasn't done much to help.

Prince William might be King Charles' presumed favorite child, but their relationship has been anything but picture-perfect. From the very start, young William reportedly wasn't exactly Charles' biggest fan — thanks in no small part to how he treated Princess Diana. Kids aren't blind, and it didn't take a genius to notice that his parents' marriage was a royal disaster. William even reportedly took his frustrations straight to the source.

In the book "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry — The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult," royal author Robert Lacey claimed that young William felt "open disdain and aggression towards his father," something that persists to this day. As a child, he resented Charles so much that he cried out, "I hate you, Papa. I hate you so much. Why do you make Mummy cry all the time?" (via Us Weekly.)

It's unclear if William fully grasped the drama behind his parents' divorce — like Charles' infamous affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles — but the late Princess Diana apparently didn't shy away from telling her kids the hard truths. "William asked me what had been going on, and could I answer his questions, which I did," she told BBC in 1995 (via People). "He said, 'Was that the reason why our marriage had broken up?' And I said, 'Well, there were three of us in this marriage, and the pressures of the media was another factor, so the two together were very difficult.' But although I still loved Papa, I couldn't live under the same roof as him, and likewise with him."

King Charles and Queen Camilla may have made their love official in 2005, nearly a decade after Princess Diana's death, but it wasn't exactly a smooth road to the altar — thanks to some strong opposition from Prince William and Prince Harry. According to Harry's memoir, "Spare," the brothers gave it their best shot, convincing their father not to marry Camilla, but as we all know, Charles didn't budge.

"Despite Willy and me urging him not to, Pa was going ahead. We pumped his hand, wished him well. No hard feelings," Harry wrote (via E! News). "We recognized that he was finally going to be with the woman he loved, the woman he'd always loved, the woman Fate might've intended for him in the first place. Whatever bitterness or sorrow we felt over the closing of another loop in Mummy's story, we understood that it was besides the point."

Bitterness or not, Harry and William showed up and played nice, but it's no secret William wasn't Camilla's biggest fan. In fact, he only got along with her when Charles was already king — and when both Charles and Kate were grappling with cancer within their family. "Prince William initially couldn't stand Camilla," royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "[But] he has come to appreciate her steadfast dedication to duty. They have become closer and have bonded over their spouses coping with cancer treatment."

In the years since, Prince William and King Charles have managed to maintain a civil relationship — at least on the surface. But then came the infamous fallout between William and Prince Harry, capped by Harry and Meghan Markle's dramatic exit from royal life and their relocation to the U.S. The rift between the brothers remains unresolved, but King Charles reportedly wants to mend fences with his youngest son. The catch? William isn't having it. "If anyone would relent, it would be King Charles III, whom, of course, Prince William won't challenge. [He] still misses his 'darling boy' and would like to see more of Prince Harry," Hilary Fordwich told Fox News, adding that Prince William, on the contrary, isn't budging at all.

Known as the "family enforcer," William is reportedly adamant about keeping Harry as far from the palace as possible — figuratively and literally. "Prince William is the most unlikely royal to ever forgive Harry for all his despicable indiscretions," she added. "In this capacity, it's widely known within the family that Prince William has laid down an absolute ban on Harry returning in any way, shape or form to his former royal family fold."

The tension between Prince William and King Charles didn't simmer down once Charles ascended to the throne — it even turned up a few notches. It seems William has a knack for stealing the spotlight, overshadowing what should have been a historic first year for his father as monarch. Speaking with Newsweek, royal expert Omid Scobie pointed out that William's media comments about how he plans to run the palace when he's king were, shall we say, poorly timed. "You know, we've heard William and people around him briefing the papers already about how he'll do things differently. When it was three days after the coronation, it was like 'William's [monarchy] will be different, his will be modern, his will be leaner, his will be more cost-effective," he said. "The dust hadn't even settled from Charles' moment."

In his book "Endgame," Scobie also highlighted a turning point: William's interview with The Sunday Times, which conveniently eclipsed Charles' first Trooping the Colour parade. "It's also why joint appearances or engagements have been few and far between during the King's first year on the throne," he wrote.

At the heart of it all? Their clashing visions of the monarchy. While Charles might prefer tradition, William's is apparently all about cutting costs and trimming royal fat. "This father-son relationship was beginning to bristle with tension and one-upmanship," noted Scobie. "William's Kensington Palace and King Charles's Buckingham Palace are now hives of competing agendas and different ideas about how to modernize."

King Charles' reign began with his cancer diagnosis, which has thrown a wrench into his plans as monarch. Still, Charles is reportedly determined to power through. But here's where things get tricky: Prince William's growing role in the monarchy has added another drama to their already rocky relationship.

"The dynamics have shifted. Charles has wanted to be the monarch for decades. Even though he's battling cancer, he's not letting that get in the way of his desire to be successful on the throne or a dynamic leader," insiders told Us Weekly, whereas William "is preparing behind the scenes for when his ascension happens. Like his father, he takes being a success in the royal role very seriously."

For William's part, though, there's reportedly no animosity — or so the sources claim. He's just doing his job, not angling to overshadow Charles. According to People, William and Kate Middleton have been proactively stepping up their royal duties. Still, it's all about readiness, not rivalry. "William has been taking on more responsibilities, and he and Kate have been preparing for their future roles sooner than they would have expected," they dished to the outlet. "There's a sense of calm before the storm. They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives, and of course, Kate's health has taken priority, but it's also allowed everyone to take a step back and figure out what's important right now."