Anne Glenconner, former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, has revealed that the late Queen Elizabeth II scolded a young Prince William after he left staff "terrified" at Balmoral Castle. The anecdote appears in her upcoming royal memoir, Trunks and Tiaras, due for release on October 8.
Raised Voices at Balmoral
A weekend of shooting in 1990 reportedly brought the Royal Family together, including the late Queen, Princess Margaret, Anne, Margaret's son David Linley, the then-Prince Charles, the late Princess Diana, and young Princes William and Harry. Anne described it as a "relaxed" family weekend, but the trip took a surprise turn when she heard "raised voices" outside.
Looking out the window, she spotted the Queen "tearing a strip" off Prince William. William was on his pony on the drive at about 8pm. Anne then told Margaret about the incident, and the Princess said she would ask the Queen about it.
William's Solo Ride
In an extract shared by the Daily Mail, Anne wrote: "Later that evening, she said that apparently Prince William had been out riding with the groom and his cousins and had wheeled back from the group and returned to the castle on his own without letting anyone know."
"The grooms had been frantic looking for him. You can imagine how terrified they were in case he had fallen and hit his head with no one knowing where he was. Princess Margaret said: 'The Queen was quite right to give him a rocket.'"
Other Reprimands
It wouldn't be the last time the late monarch reprimanded the future King. Hello! previously reported that she was "not impressed" by then-33-year-old William's behaviour at Trooping the Colour in 2016. Reporter Jack White explained: "As the family made an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, William bent down to have a chat with little Prince George."
"But Her Majesty was not impressed. Clearly aware of the fact that thousands of eyes were on them, she appeared to tell her grandchild to stand up. And William did not waste any time in following granny's orders." Prince Harry, standing behind his older brother, was "seemingly chuckling" at the scolding but also "sure to correct" his posture as his grandmother fixed her attention on him.
William also disclosed an incident to Sky News for the 2016 documentary The Queen at 90. He explained that he and Peter Phillips were chasing his sister, Zara, who was on a go-kart and was herded into a lamppost. "And the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her, and I remember my grandmother being the first person out at Balmoral running across the lawn in her kilt," William said. "[She] came charging over and gave us the most almighty b******ing, and that sort of stuck in my mind from that moment on."
