Prince Charles has always found it difficult to deal with William and Harry's mood swings - just like he did with their late mum Diana, a royal expert claims.
Robert Jobson said to this day the Prince of Wales admits he struggles to gauge his two sons' "occasionally unpredictable moods".
The author and journalist - who has covered the Firm for decades, speaking to countless courtiers and aides - said the brothers "both have quite extreme mood swings".
And there was a similar dynamic with Charles' first wife, their mum.
It has been previously reported that Charles saw a therapist for 14 years in and around his turbulent marriage to Diana.
The tragic princess was fiery and independent, but could often suffer sudden mood swings, explosive rages and prolonged sulks.
This is in contrast to Charles, who is said to avoid outright confrontation.
Royal biographer Howard Hodgson claimed in his 2007 book Charles - The man who will be King, Diana's "kind" and "compassionate" repute would sometimes slip away leading to occasional outbursts during the early years of her marriage.
"It was as if she could only get relief from her inner turmoil and pain by venting her rage on those around her," he wrote.
And Mr Jobson said they are traits that were inherited by William and Harry, to some degree.
"To this day, Charles admits he often finds it difficult to gauge both William and Harry’s occasionally unpredictable moods," he wrote for a column in the Daily Mail.
"'They both have quite extreme mood swings, just as Diana did,' said a former courtier. "She could be your best friend one minute and the next your worst enemy."
Mr Jobson also said William's relationship with his father has often been strained over the years.
Until Harry's departure from the Firm with wife Meghan Markle in March 2020, it was he rather than the heir who would talk with his "Pa" for hours.
William, in contrast, was more stand-offish, with Kate said to have been left to smooth things over on multiple occasions.
Like his mum, the Duke of Cambridge can often display a fiery temper and short fuse behind closed doors, the expert claims.
Even senior members of his circle will "check which way the wind is blowing" before addressing him at times, he added.
William and Harry are also said to rarely show the 'proper' deference to Charles, with him being the King-in-waiting, something he has always done with the Queen.
Harry made a brief visit to Windsor last week with Meghan on their way to Holland for the Invictus Games.
Despite what appears to have been a close relationship with his dad growing up, Harry's public allegations made against his life in the Royal Family, including painting Charles in a negative light, suggest a major rift.
And William and Harry's relationship has been on the rocks for a number of years, with some suggestion it started when the former warned his younger brother not to rush his relationship with Meghan.
They did briefly reunite, however, to unveil a statue of their mum at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace last July, having also been seen chatting as they walked back to Windsor Castle following Prince Philip's funeral just months before.
