Prince Charles had no idea what cling film was and “shrieked” at the sight of it, according to an unauthorised new biography of the royal.
The book, written by investigative journalist Tom Bower, paints a portrait of a pampered and demanding man who has a penchant for quirky and luxurious habits.
Mr Bower, who has written unauthorised biographies of Richard Branson and Tony Blair, claims to have interviewed more than 120 people as part of the research for The Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles.
According to the book, the Prince of Wales was mortified by seeing cling film covering food.
After hosting a lunch at Clarence House, the Duchess of Cornwall is reported to have told staff to leave the leftovers on the sideboard. Prince Charles reportedly went searching for some dinner later on.
“He walked into the dining room and shrieked,” the book reads. “Fearing the worst, Camilla dashed in after him. ‘What’s this?’ asked her husband, pointing at the food."
"‘It’s cling film, darling,’ she replied.”
It is said to be the royal’s first exposure to the thin plastic film typically used for protecting foodstuff.
The book also claimed the Prince reportedly takes his own pre-mixed cocktails which are carried by a police officer when going to functions.
On longer journeys, such as the time he went to see a friend in north east England, he is said to have taken luxury loo roll, a toilet seat, an orthopaedic mattress and two landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.
The 69-year-old is also said to change his clothes up to five times a day.
“This book is the story of Prince Charles’s battle for rehabilitation after Diana’s death, and his refusal to obey the public’s expectations of a future king,” the author writes in his preface.
Clarence House has said it will not respond to the book.
