London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 22, 2025

Britain's popular Prince William bears royal weight on his shoulders

For Britain's royal family, plenty rides on what Prince William does as heir to the throne, and eventually, as king.

His father, King Charles, is less popular than the queen he succeeds and the son who will follow, leaving William and his wife Kate with an outsized role in steering the monarchy in an age where reverence to the crown is no longer a given.

William, once dubbed "work-shy" by British tabloid newspapers, has taken on more and more royal duties in recent years and championed causes including the environment and mental health, taking his contribution beyond the ceremonial.

"I think the royal family has to modernise and develop as it goes along and it has to stay relevant," William said in 2016, when asked about his future as king.

"That's the challenge for me is how do I make the royal family relevant in the next 20 years' time, and it could be 40 years' time, it could be 60 years' time and I have no idea when that's going to be.

"I hope that's something that I can do."

The 40-year-old's job became even more crucial after his younger brother Prince Harry stepped down from royal duties in March 2020 to move to California with his American wife Meghan.

Harry had likewise been seen as a major asset for the modern monarchy, and his departure has robbed the institution of one of its most popular members.

His and Meghan's stark criticism of Buckingham Palace has been damaging, as has the public and bitter falling out between the princes. Yet opinion polls now consistently point to William and Kate as the people's favourite royals.

"He's very much central to the success of the Carolean age," royal biographer Andrew Morton said of William.

"With Prince Charles becoming king in his 70s, and he will reign for some 20 years if he's fortunate, it means an awful lot of the future of the monarchy rests of the shoulders of Prince William," Morton told Reuters.

SPEAKING HIS MIND


Unlike his grandmother, who never gave an interview during her 70 years on the throne, William has been much happier to share his personal and innermost feelings.

And like for his father and grandfather, Elizabeth's late husband Prince Philip, the environment has been a major focus, and he has launched his own "Earthshot Prize" to help find solutions to climate change.

He has also not been shy to speak his mind and criticise world leaders and other prominent figures for failing to act.

"We can't have more clever speak, clever words but not enough action," William said ahead of last year's COP26 climate summit.

Another prime campaigning cause is mental health and encouraging people to speak openly about their emotions, and he has talked of the inner struggles he faced when dealing with the death of his mother, killed in a car crash in 1997 when he was just 15.

That approach, with echoes of how "people's princess" Diana used her royal status, has garnered praise and points to a new style of monarchy William wants to embrace.

However, his tour with wife Kate to the Caribbean in March, while mostly regarded as successful, was a wake-up call to the modern monarchy after the couple faced protests over Britain's imperial past and criticism some of the visit had echoes of a colonial throwback.

"I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future," William said in a statement issued at the end of their visit.

Royal sources have told newspapers that William understood the queen's approach of silence would not work anymore and that they wanted to be less formal, being known by their names rather than titles.

The issue for William will be to ensure that change does not make them redundant, especially when surveys suggest that Britons aged under 50 are far more ambivalent about the monarchy than older generations.

"When he gets the top job he won't do away with it all," Miguel Head, who was a key aide to the prince for a decade until 2018, told the Sunday Times.

"He's mindful the monarchy represents something timeless that's above all of us, and many people like the magic and theatre of it."

STAR POWER


Aides say much of William's success in his royal role comes from the double act with his equally popular wife Kate, with whom he has had three children.

They have enjoyed largely positive media coverage over the last five years as one of the world's most glamorous couples with Hollywood star appeal.

"With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given," Charles said in his first televised address to the nation as king.

While William has clearly given his future role as king plenty of thought, it is not a job he is in a hurry to take on.

"I certainly don't lie awake, waiting or hoping for it, because it sadly means that my family moved on and I don't want that," he once said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
×