Prince William attends Royal Ascot on June 19, 2024, at Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire. The future king has faced scandals during his royal career. | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince William has been engulfed in a number of past public storms, from racism allegations to an awkward breakup with Princess Kate.

Prince Harry argued in his memoir that he had been sacrificed as the Spare to save his brother’s squeaky clean reputation, though Britain’s next king has still had his crisis moments.

Tabloids nicknamed him “Work-shy Wills,” animal rights groups accused him of hypocrisy and, as recently as this year, marriage gossip entered the mainstream via Stephen Colbert.

Breaking up With Kate by Phone

Prince William and Princess Kate’s fairytale wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011 helped secure the future of the British monarchy after the fraught 1990s, beset by divorces.

However, five years the couple earlier had a major wobble when William called an end to the relationship and chose a particularly controversial means of doing so, shortly before New Year’s Eve in 2006.

Robert Jobson wrote in his new book Catherine, the Princess of Wales: “Seemingly out of the blue, William—now a 2nd Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals—telephoned her to suggest that they split up.

“He told her they both needed ‘a bit of space’ to ‘find our own way’, and he was unable to promise her marriage. In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on ‘different pages’.

“It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone.”

The temporary breakup threw both royals into the searing glare of media scrutiny but William came back to Kate in time.

Read More – Prince William’s Biggest Scandals [Article From 22/8/24]