Duke of Cambridge: What Now for William? Future Duties, Roles, Responsibilities


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Dickie Arbiter on a life serving the Queen, Prince Charles, Diana and William and Harry | Royal | News | Daily Express
If the Queen does prove to have her mother's longevity genes, William too will have a long wait to become Prince of Wales. Critics argue that he and Kate should do more now but Arbiter thinks that like Harry, who is now 30, William, 32, is right to avoid becoming a full-time royal and focus instead on a career outside The Firm.


Harry remains a career Army officer, combining his role with part-time royal duties, and a year after quitting the RAF Search and Rescue Force, William has begun preparing for training as an air ambulance helicopter pilot.
 
There has been a lot of discussion about Catherine's roles and duties recently and this strayed into the same discussion about William. Usual debate over f/t vs p/time, etc etc.

I just found this quote in the book Monarchy, The Royal Family at Work, by Robert Hardman. I think it helps to make sense of William (and Harry's) approach to royal duty.

QUOTE

The Prince [of Wales] has always made it clear that his sons will not be shoved into royal duties against their will. Having had his own education and career mapped out by a committee involving everyone from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Prime Minister, he remains determined that Princes William and Harry should follow their instincts and their own sense of duty rather than some dusty blueprint

END.

For me this says that just because its been done a particular way in the past, that it doesnt need to be done the same way now. Another theme in the book is about how the Monarchy needs to be relevant. What is said by senior members of the Royal Household is " ..the basic rule of Monarchy: just keep doing the same thing - differently".

Its not a recent book (2007) but I've found relevant to current Royal life.

Thank you for the above information. :flowers: Says a lot.
 
There has been a lot of discussion about Catherine's roles and duties recently and this strayed into the same discussion about William. Usual debate over f/t vs p/time, etc etc.

I just found this quote in the book Monarchy, The Royal Family at Work, by Robert Hardman. I think it helps to make sense of William (and Harry's) approach to royal duty.

QUOTE

The Prince [of Wales] has always made it clear that his sons will not be shoved into royal duties against their will. Having had his own education and career mapped out by a committee involving everyone from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Prime Minister, he remains determined that Princes William and Harry should follow their instincts and their own sense of duty rather than some dusty blueprint

END.

For me this says that just because its been done a particular way in the past, that it doesnt need to be done the same way now. Another theme in the book is about how the Monarchy needs to be relevant. What is said by senior members of the Royal Household is " ..the basic rule of Monarchy: just keep doing the same thing - differently".

Its not a recent book (2007) but I've found relevant to current Royal life.

Thank you for the article, that insight into how PC is supporting his sons in their decisions to live their own lives says a lot about PC and for what he is doing and has done, I have a lot of respect for him. I am also glad to see that the boys have learned to have a large part of their lives at this time just for them to live as they please while still keeping in mind of their heritage and their duties. I do believe that PC will someday be a great king for GB and do a wonderful job. :)
 
The Duke of Cambridge: What Now for William? Future Duties, Roles & Responsib...

Charles has been really supportive of William. William and Harry could go to Eton which was a good experience for Wills instead of having to go to Gordonstoun just because Philip, Charles, Andrew, Edward, Peter and Zara -basically almost everybody but the corgis went there. He also didn't force William to go to Oxford or Cambridge but let him go to St Andrews. Without St Andrews, there is no Kate, George, Lupo or baby 2.

He also supported William to train for SAR instead of leaving the military and becoming a full time royal when everybody thought that's is what he was going to do and he is fully behind William doing the air ambulance job now.


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I think it's great that William and Harry are allowed to follow their passions. I think the idea is to make sure they have a well balanced approach to their outside jobs and royal duties. With the Queen and Prince Philip's age, a lot of this free to do what you want lifestyle wont and can't be too long, IMO.
 
Charles has been fairly vocal (for a royal) about his unhappiness in how he was raised...I am convinced he went above and beyond to make sure the boys had more/better opportunities than he did...and I think this is one area he and Diana were always in agreement on.

This is why I find it so silly when people start saying William is spoiled just doing whatever he wants and the Queen (and/or Charles) are upset...he's doing what he's doing because he's being encouraged to some degree to do it by his father etc.


LaRae
 
I do believe that both William and Harry come from a very close knit support system and that their passions are listened to and taken into consideration by all and wherever possible, the ways and means of making their dreams become reality were found. If I recall from various readings of Will and Harry as small boys, it was Will that wanted to grow up to be a policeman and Harry wanted to be a soldier. Two brothers went through difficult times but they always went through them together. There is a very tangible, close bond between these two that will only grow stronger with time.

These boys were not raised to be sycophants to trod the royal brick road for the rest of their lives. Both men are very much aware of the duties that their positions hold and for the most part, have found their own niche in charitable causes and patronages that are personal to them such as Centrepoint, Sentebale, the Invictus games and Walking with the Wounded, and conservation and the list keeps growing. They've both attained their own personal goals. Harry remains a soldier in the armed forces and although not quite a policeman, Wills will serve the people flying an air ambulance. How many people do any of us know that would take on a job such as this and donate his paycheck to the organization he works for? Perhaps Will can afford to do this but the point being, he didn't have to. He drew a regular paycheck in the service. I think it reinforces the position that William is doing this to be in service to his people more so than just his love of flying.

The time will come though when the family will call on both of these men to step up and be the princes they were born to be. And they will do it with love, honor and a deep sense of duty that they've learned from their father and their grandparents. With the level of compassion, caring and openness that they've inherited from their mother, William along with his brother Harry, will make quite a formidable team taking the monarchy forward.
 
:previous:WOW, that was expertly said and very well put............if I could I would send you a huge bouquet of flowers, hope this will do instead...:wub::rose::rose2::rose::rose2:
 
Yes!!!!!!!:flowers::flowers::flowers:

There is an abnormal situation in the UK now in that there are three adult generations of the Royal Family working. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are still actively working, as are many of the Queen's first cousins. The Queen's children are all busy doing public work as well. William and Harry work full-time at public service jobs and also do some high-profile royal engagements. Catherine is in her second difficult pregnancy and has done engagements in the UK as well as strenuous overseas tours, all within three years of marriage. I can foresee that within the next five to ten years, the third generation is going to pick up the pace of royal engagements quite a bit as their elders age and pass away.


The time will come though when the family will call on both of these men to step up and be the princes they were born to be. And they will do it with love, honor and a deep sense of duty that they've learned from their father and their grandparents. With the level of compassion, caring and openness that they've inherited from their mother, William along with his brother Harry, will make quite a formidable team taking the monarchy forward.
 
Lots of wishful thinking going on, IMO, (excluding Harry, who does do things.)
 
I think it should be applauded that William work in a public service job. Air Ambulance is a serious and very important job. I think just as long as he work this job for the next two years and have a very balanced approach to his royal duties, everything will be fine. He struggled with the balance when he was in the military and he himself admitted to it. His upcoming job is very important but he also have to be just as passionate about his royal duties. That's a big balancing act. I think the Air Ambulance will be his last outside of royal duties job though.
 
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^^^ Well to satisfy the royal duties crowd he could just become Patron of East Anglia Air Ambulance (it is a registered charity). Then every time his goes to work he is performing a "royal duty"

Harry's engagements are documented in the CC just like William's and Kate's. Since 29 April 2011 Harry's totals put him behind his brother and sister in law.
 
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What is the word in Britain?

Is there a genuine debate going on among the public that W&K are doing too little work?
Or is it just something debated mainly by royal observers, pro and con?
 
No genuine debate. Some tabloids are put out they don't have Catherine on they're cover every second day but thats it. If William isn't a "full-time" royal this means Catherine isn't full-time and this is what irks them. Kate can sell magazines and tabloids

The royal reporter for the Express actually pulled out of the Malta tour when it was announced Catherine couldn't make it.

The BRF don't need W&K working full-time but the tabloids want it because they sell.
 
:previous: Rudolph has nailed it!
 
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:previous: So, it's not something people discuss in the pubs or on the bus?

Then it's a non-issue in the eyes of the general public?

Don't misunderstand, I ask out of curiosity and a wish to get the real picture.
 
:previous:
I think that it's mostly royal watchers such as TRF and other sites that want to see Catherine 24/7 and if they don't they complain for they are living their lives through these royals. Some people just can't see or think outside their own little world, sorry for the scarsums but it irks me that even if Catherine was working full time , they still would not be pleased. And no Harry does not do all the work as was earlier stated.........grrrrr. I think for the moral and sanity of those boys that it's great that they focus on what is important to them in their personal lives and doing what they are doing will make for a much happier and more full filled men when they do become just full time royals working for the people, the firm and all those that are dying with batted breath to see them. Whenever they work and do something it is great to see them and hope they take the time to enjoy their lives and those babies for they are the most important of all.
 
^^^ Well to satisfy the royal duties crowd he could just become Patron of East Anglia Air Ambulance (it is a registered charity). Then every time his goes to work he is performing a "royal duty"
...

Brilliant!:whistling:
 
No genuine debate. Some tabloids are put out they don't have Catherine on they're cover every second day but thats it. If William isn't a "full-time" royal this means Catherine isn't full-time and this is what irks them. Kate can sell magazines and tabloids.

The royal reporter for the Express actually pulled out of the Malta tour when it was announced Catherine couldn't make it.

The BRF don't need W&K working full-time but the tabloids want it because they sell.

Very astute imo. :flowers:

I have no particular interest in seeing William and Kate out-and-about, but I do see the point some make regarding the paucity of their public events. Still, friends in England mirror what Rudolph is saying: it doesn't seem to be an issue.

I do think the presence of three significant royal couples is a surfeit of a good thing. I have a hunch that they all are trying to keep out of the way of each other. Until Charles is monarch, I don't think we will see much of William. I agree that they've made that choice. I don't know that they have, of course, but it seems they have, and it seems a good scenario.
 
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I do think that the BRF knows that W and K are the 'money makers' that John Public wants to see (no need for a response about Chares and Camilla being next in line to inherit). While it is not a popularity contest, the firm must realize that having their most popular royals at whichever event is going to draw huge popularity to the firm in general.
 
The Duke of Cambridge: What Now for William? Future Duties, Roles & Responsib...

The popular royal will vary in time but the monarchy takes a more long term view of things. Early in her reign the Queen was extremely popular, Margaret in the sixties, Diana is the eighties, now it's William and Kate. In 20 yrs it will be George. It goes in cycles.


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I am still baffled at the purpose of William's transitional year. I think if he had simply switched jobs with a short break there would have been no controversy, but it could be seen as looking like he has had either another gap year or a whole year of paternity leave which no one else gets.
 
IMVHO-The senior royals were also concerned about the health of 3 members: DoE, DoK and Princess Alexandra during 2013. Should something had happened to them to remove them from the full time list, I do believe that William and Catherine would have been requested by HM/PoW to move onto the full time list. By Sept. of 2013, the DoE was still recovering from his medical concerns in the summer of 2013 and the Queen and PoW might have been asking William to be "flexible" just in case.
 
IMVHO-The senior royals were also concerned about the health of 3 members: DoE, DoK and Princess Alexandra during 2013. Should something had happened to them to remove them from the full time list, I do believe that William and Catherine would have been requested by HM/PoW to move onto the full time list. By Sept. of 2013, the DoE was still recovering from his medical concerns in the summer of 2013 and the Queen and PoW might have been asking William to be "flexible" just in case.

I just don't understand the idea of someone becoming ill for the Cambridge's to move into full-time royal duties. It shouldn't take that to get them to do so, IMO. The decision should be based on The Queen & Duke of Edinburgh's age, timing for them to step up and that they have the full staff to support them in their roles.

I'm thinking William's Air Ambulance job will have to be flexible for him and Catherine to fulfill their royal duties.
 
The age of The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh is irrelevant. If W&K announce tomorrow they are now "full-time" royals it has zero impact on the Queen unless she is prepared to relinquish her charities and those charities agree to take on the Cambridges.
 
It insulting to the Queen and the DoE to tell them that they are too old to do their job as if they can't decide what they can and cannot do.
 
^^^ My thoughts exactly miche and when the Queen and DoE do start to slow down their duties will be picked up by Charles and Camilla not W&K.
 
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It insulting to the Queen and the DoE to tell them that they are too old to do their job as if they can't decide what they can and cannot do.

I'm not sure anyone has said that they are too old to carry out their jobs.
 
I think that possibly HM doesn't want a possible repeat of the 80s. The monarchy was extremely popular in those years due to Diana and, to a lesser extent, Sarah. However, when that popularity ended, it was a terrible crisis for the whole House of Windsor. Popularity now isn't necessarily what's best for the long run.


I do think that the BRF knows that W and K are the 'money makers' that John Public wants to see (no need for a response about Chares and Camilla being next in line to inherit). While it is not a popularity contest, the firm must realize that having their most popular royals at whichever event is going to draw huge popularity to the firm in general.
 
Its occurred to me too that perhaps with W&K&H being part time royals and also having their own private lives, with the popularity that they do enjoy, they can be somewhat seen as "trailers" as to the future of the monarchy. We know that eventually they will play a much more major role in the Firm's operations but for now, along with seeing them do various royal duties and charitable endeavors, we're also seeing them as people outside of their royal titles. They're finding areas in their lives where they can express what is important to them. With Kate right now, its motherhood. With William its a love of flying and his aim of being there for people in need and with Harry its his love of the armed forces and those that serve.

In my opinion, this can only enhance how they are perceived in the time to come when they are full time working royals for the Firm.
 
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