7 Times the Royal Family Got Royally Mad In Public 》

There’s a phrase that’s meant to sum up the typical British mentality: “stiff upper lip.” Generally speaking, the English aren’t big on public displays of emotion. That’s especially true of the Royal Family, all of whom are bound by strict protocols about how they present themselves to the public.

At the end of the day, though, every member of the Royal Family is just as human as the rest of us. They have good days and bad days, and when things get really bad, they can’t help but get angry. And that results in the kind of public meltdowns that would make Queen Elizabeth spin in her grave.

Don’t believe it? Keep reading to discover the wildest times the Royal Family got mad in public!

King Charles freaked out over a pen

King Charles isn’t just another member of the Royal Family. As the reigning monarch, he’s supposed to be an exemplar of royal behavior and present himself as someone that other members of his famous family can look up to. However, Charles is very accustomed to getting his way in life, and he’s known to absolutely freak out over even minor setbacks.

The best example of this occurred only days after Charles assumed the throne. He was in the middle of signing paperwork (a surprisingly large part of his royal duties) when he discovered that his pen was leaking. No big deal, right? Not to Charles: “Oh God, I hate this (pen)!,” he exclaimed before commiserating with Camilla that “I can’t bear this bloody thing … every stinking time.”

He then walked away, leaving the world marveling at a king who reacted to a leaking pen like a petulant child.

Prince William calls out the media

Princess Diana was always plagued by the paparazzi, and she wasn’t afraid to give them a piece of her mind (more on this later). It turns out that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree because her son, William, wasted no time calling out powerful media figures for their role in manipulating his mother. All of this occurred after a May 2021 report found that BBC journalist Martin Bashir had used deliberately deceitful practices in order to obtain his historic interview with Princess Diana.

In response, William filmed a statement that held nothing back. He described how he was filled with “indescribable sadness” to know that Bashir’s deceits had “contributed significantly” to Diana’s feelings of loneliness and paranoia. William then decried the state of modern journalism, saying, “In an era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important. These failings, identified by investigative journalists, not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down too.”

Ouch!

Diana dodges an unwanted kiss

Part of what made that Diana interview so historic is that she opened up about her failed marriage to Prince Charles. His affair with Camilla was something of an open secret, but in that interview, Diana was quite frank about how it felt like there were “three of us in this marriage.” Years before that interview, she was on a trip with Charles to Jaipur. She was planning to separate from him, but the two were still expected to keep up appearances.

That meant that she dutifully presented Charles with a gift–in this case, a little, blue box. In return, Charles tried to plant a kiss on her lips in an attempt to convince the public that their relationship was fine. Diana was having none of it, though, and turned her head. This moment turned the paparazzi’s heads, too, and the world soon had countless pictures of Diana rejecting her cheating husband in the most public way.

Prince Philip gets cranky about a picture

The late, great Prince Philip was always known for speaking his mind. And the older he got, the less patience he had for things that he felt were wasting his time. Those two things came to a head in 2015 when Philip was supposed to participate in a group photo with fellow veterans of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Because this was a collection of heroic war veterans and the King, the photographers spent extra time setting everything up so they could get a perfect shot. Philip didn’t appreciate how long everything was taking, though, so he ended up blurting out, “Just take the f—ing picture.” His family tried to contain their laughter, but many were shocked at such vulgarity coming from such an esteemed figure.

Princess Diana goes off on the paparazzi

Few royals were stalked by the paparazzi quite as much as Princess Diana. She was a good sport about it when she was still married (however nominally) to Prince Charles. After their divorce, however, she was more willing to give the press a piece of her mind. And that’s exactly what happened when a group of paparazzi ambushed her while she was on a Caribbean vacation.

“Oh, get lost,” she told them. Everyone was stunned, possibly too shocked to move. That’s when Diana started waving her arms in order to shoo them away, repeating her earlier command. “Go on,” she said, “Get lost.” At the time, some members of the public found it harsh. These days, however, most admire Diana for standing up to the photographers who always made her life so miserable.d when a group of paparazzi ambushed her while she was on a Caribbean vacation.

Prince Harry Involved in Altercation with Photographer

Prince Harry’s strained relationship with the media has deep roots, dating back to the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. In the BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days, Harry reflected on that trauma, stating one of the most difficult realities to accept was that “the people who chased her into the tunnel were the same people who were taking photographs of her while she was still dying in the back seat.”

That lingering tension appeared to reach a breaking point in 2004. At the time, a 20-year-old Prince Harry was leaving a London nightclub in the early morning hours when he found himself surrounded by paparazzi. A confrontation ensued, resulting in photographer Chris Uncle suffering a cut lip.

According to a statement from Clarence House, reported by The Guardian, the prince had been struck in the face by a camera as he moved toward his car. “In pushing the camera away, it’s understood that a photographer’s lip was cut,” the spokesperson explained.

However, Uncle offered a different account, alleging that Harry had already entered the vehicle before suddenly emerging and confronting him. “He burst out the car and lunged towards me as I was still taking pictures,” Uncle claimed. “He lashed out and then deliberately pushed my camera into my face.”

Though the precise sequence of events remains disputed, the incident underscored Prince Harry’s deeply rooted animosity toward the press — an emotion that, in this case, seemed to spill over.

Princess of Wales Shares Playful but Challenging Moment with Prince Louis at Jubilee Event

During Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Party at the Palace, the Princess of Wales found herself in a familiar parenting predicament — trying to manage the boundless energy and mischief of her youngest son, Prince Louis.

As the festivities unfolded, the then four-year-old royal quickly became the center of attention for his animated expressions and playful antics. At one point, little Louis began sucking his thumb, prompting a visibly amused but slightly exasperated Kate to gently tap it away in an effort to distract him.

But Prince Louis wasn’t done entertaining just yet. Moments later, he turned to his mother and cheekily stuck his tongue out, earning a firm but quiet word from Kate, who maintained her composure with a smile.

Adding to the light-hearted moment, Mike Tindall, seated nearby, joined in on the fun. With a playful glint in his eye, the former rugby star gave Louis a joking “I’m watching you” hand gesture, which sparked laughter from Kate.

Despite the occasional challenge of keeping a lively child in check during a formal event, the exchange showcased the warmth, humor, and relatability of royal family life — especially between a devoted mother and her spirited son.