King Charles has a "proper temper" and can go from "zero to 60" in a flash and then back down again, a new book claims.
However, it adds that the new monarch also has a "ferocious work ethic" and "rarely directs his anger at individuals". Following the sad death of the Queen earlier this month, Charles - now 73 - became the oldest monarch to come to the throne. But unlike his late mother, he has been described as "needy" with one royal expert saying he is "easily irritated by trivial mishaps". And now in a brand new book called Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low, former members of the King's household have spoken of how he is "never satisfied with himself".
In an extract published in The Times, Low writes: "Charles is a demanding boss. Working for him is not a nine-to-five job. This, according to one former member of his household, is because he is very demanding of himself. 'He is never satisfied with himself, or what he has achieved. People around him had to work hard to keep up. He had enormous stamina.' Another said: 'He was demanding in that he is always working. Seven days a week. Never stops'.
"'At any moment he may want to call you about something. Working on his boxes, on his ideas, on his papers. The pace is pretty intense.' The phone calls could come at any time, from after breakfast until 11 at night, even at Christmas. In contrast to the conviviality of his grandmother’s household, Charles’s office is suffused with a ferocious work ethic: he is a man with a mission."
The extract adds: "'He would drive people hard. He was full of ideas, always asking people to go and do things. The workload as private secretary would be immense. He had strong opinions. He also had a proper temper on him, which was quite fun.
"'He would rarely direct it at the individual. It would be about something, and he would lose his temper. He would throw something. He would go from zero to 60 in a flash, and then back down again. Things would frustrate him, especially the media.'”
The extract comes as former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond gave her thoughts on the new King - and told the Mirror that his wife Queen Consort Camilla will help him to succeed.
She said: "Elizabeth was just 25 and had two children under four when she was told she was now Queen. Charles is almost 74 and a grandfather, with a reign before him which will necessarily be short.
"But, unlike the man he was 25 years ago, he is secure in a happy marriage with a woman who understands him, indulges him and makes his life as uncomplicated as possible. Charles can be needy — easily irritated by trivial mishaps.
"Camilla knows how to soothe and calm him. She is his rock; the foundation on which his Kingship will succeed or founder.
"By common consent, he has made a solid start to his reign. He’s travelled the length and breadth of the UK thanking people for their condolences; he’s shaken hundreds of hands and allowed himself to be hugged and kissed."
