Prince William's Suitability to be King

[Denville]

You can argue that that is the sign of true wisdom. ?

Its more or less what's expected of a king. Charles has gone differently and possibly William has seen that his father has been crticised for expressing his opinions and having so many ideas.. and has preferred NOT to do so. SInce neither he nor Charles are the king yet, they have some wiggle room.. Charles can still be a bit controversial without totally over stepping the boundaries..but it is a delicate balancing act...

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

I'm sure he has plenty of opinions on politics, but he knows not to voice them publicly.


Not voicing your political opinions doesn't show a lack of intellectual curiosity: it just shows an awareness of what is and isn't appropriate in certain circumstances. I wish more people would do that - some people seemed determined to turn discussions about books, music, sport, TV programmes and anything else into a political debate! There's a time and a place. In the case of Royalty, that's in private only.

I agree. Charles has also been criticised for being too political in the past, especially when it comes to the environment, so that might also be a reason why his sons have been more quiet on their political POVs.

 

[victor1319]

Its more or less what's expected of a king...but it is a delicate balancing act...

And - and I think, that is important, a Monarch (be it the Queen, be it already one of the Princes, what includes Prince William) has all the advantages the press has, exept the "right" to lie.

These advantages are: a) gate keeping and b) agenda setting

a) The Monarch has this much authority, s/he can determine in a big way the outcome of a political discussion. And the Monarch does not even have to talk openly!

b) The Monarch has this much authority, s/he can determine in a big way about "what" will be discussed and how.

Example for a): Imagine the Monarch just having a breakfast in a restaurant, which was the day before visited by a certain politician! What would everybody think?

Example for b): The Queen has openly claimed, that "diversity is indeed a strength", but she has not visited Rotherham after the "things", which happened there. Now imagine this the other way around!

Explanation: I would as a policy advisor neither recommend a) or b)! But a Monarch does not have to hold big speeches, like some professional political adventurer. A little wink here and there...

Remembers anybody the EU-hat of the Queen? It was explained by her stylist as a "coincidence"...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...to-eu-flag-coincidence-insists-queens-dresser

But it was quite a "coincidence"! So, Her Majesty can make some folks nervous with a hat. It did not stop the Brexit, though, that is, why I would as a political advisor not recommend such behaviour, but still imagine something like a) or b)!

In playing public emotions, one has to be more like a professional surfer and try to use every single of all the different waves to reach the long-term goal of the championship... The Monarch on the other hand is already "champion". But sometimes one has to go to action! And the Monarch can do this - big time!


Hopefully William will rule over a calm and peaceful and not an "interesting" time!

 

[yukari]

The Sunday Times (behind paywall):

Up close and personal with Prince William: an intimate portrait of the future king
(It's a long article, but worth the read)

(...)

A former royal aide says: “Immediately after their wedding he had a very clear idea of the pace at which he wanted to take things.” William was adamant he wouldn’t curtail his day jobs, first as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot in Anglesey and then with the air ambulance. “If you’re not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at an early age,” he said, insisting he didn’t “lie awake waiting or hoping” to be king. He delayed full-time royal duties until the autumn of 2017, when, acknowledging the Cambridges’ future required more time at “monarchy HQ”, they moved from Norfolk to London and George started school.

He’d had to fight his corner for the air ambulance role. A source close to William reveals “there were lots of raised eyebrows in the Palace when he wanted to do that. While the Queen and his father backed him, some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people. They thought he wouldn’t stick it out, he’d find it boring, or was doing it out of stubbornness to put off royal duties. He was pretty bloody-minded about it, and determined that other people’s expectations in the media or the system shouldn’t get in the way of his own values.” In the wake of Harry and Meghan’s interview much has been speculated about the extent to which royal life is dictated by Palace officials, but it is clear that William has managed to forge his own path. Who knows how high those senior courtiers’ eyebrows rose in 2019, when William spent three weeks shadowing the spooks of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to learn how they combat terrorism. He insisted on being called “Will” and lunching in the canteen every day.

Those closest to the duke say his resistance to the idea of full-time royal duties stemmed not only from a desire to achieve something for himself but also from a fear of the impact on his family life. Miguel Head worked alongside the prince for ten years until 2018, as William, Kate and Harry’s communications secretary and later as William’s private secretary. “In his role everyone’s going to tell you you’re marvellous,” Head says. “The RAF and air ambulance jobs were about knowing what his abilities were, what he was good at in his own right. Without that he’d still be hankering for something that was his own.” After children came along he says William developed a “visceral determination to give them a life of consistency and privacy that were missing for large parts of his own childhood”.

Another close aide says the plan enabling the Cambridges to have a few years of “normal” married life, away from the full-time glare of the royal spotlight, paid dividends: “For years, the battles around privacy and paparazzi intrusion were all-consuming. He wanted to know, could we build them a credible plan allowing them a family life while slowly increasing the profile of official life? It took years to get there, but the success of that plan allowed him to be confident and content in his role. He’s not worried about his kids’ privacy any more and he has been able to be the kind of dad he wants to be.”

“Marriage maketh the man,” a friend says. “Catherine’s groundedness has been the critical anchor. And where his relationship with the media was once all fury and frustration, he now understands using the power of modern media, so the public feel they’re getting enough access.”

(...)

William has said his grandmother’s approach to being head of state is to take “more of a passive role. She’s above politics and is very much away from it.” He doesn’t plan to meddle in party politics, but he was not happy about the unenviable position the government put the Queen in with the 2019 proroguing of parliament, which was later ruled to be unlawful and forced an apology from Boris Johnson to the monarch. Constitutionally the Queen had no alternative other than to act on the advice of her government, but in William’s reign there will be “more private, robust challenging of advice”. His last three private secretaries — Christian Jones, Simon Case, now the cabinet secretary, and Head — had all worked in government departments, helping William to keep his finger on the political pulse. The new incumbent, the Whitehall heavyweight Jean-Christophe Gray, who served as David Cameron’s spokesman, continues in that vein.

(...)

A turning point for William was his 2015 official visit to China, one of the world’s largest consumers of ivory, where he met President Xi and condemned the illegal wildlife trade as a “vicious form of criminality”. Unlike his father, who has refused to visit the People’s Republic over its human rights record and treatment of Tibet, William’s view was that despite the UK’s fractious relationship with China, “we’ve got to engage”.

“It was very political, raising the illegal wildlife trade in China. I’m sure the diplomats were having all sort of nightmares in advance,” says Mayhew, who joined the duke in China. “But he was gathering greater confidence that he had the ability to be a mouthpiece for the issue.” Mayhew reveals that while William was visiting Japan before China, he still hadn’t secured a meeting with Xi. “But when the Chinese saw all the high-level meetings he was having in Japan, they changed their minds and Xi made time for him.” Later that year, as Xi began a UK state visit, William appeared on Chinese television condemning the ivory trade. Two years later China banned the trade.

(...)

Archive file: https://archive.ph/iaDYk#selection-1119.0-1119.676

Now, this is PR done right.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again; the Cambridges (particularly William) really have impressive people working behind the scene for them, their team is top notch.

 

[Muhler]

It is also a question of preparing/training the Cambridges and enabling them to realize that there are things they can do, but also things they can't do. - And equally important: Accepting that.

 

[AC21091968]

Thank you yukari for sharing the Sunday Times article including the Archived link. Reading through the details on The Duke of Cambridge experience working as an ambulance pilot and working royals including charitable causes as well as a father, reinforce that the Cambridges make the right choice to not go straight into senior working roles after marriage.

I agree with Muhler that during William's preparation to become the future king, he realised that there are things that can and cannot do. And (as a side note) there are lots of learning processes and approach being considered for the future.

 

[Hallo girl]

Thank you yukari for sharing the Sunday Times article including the Archived link. Reading through the details on The Duke of Cambridge experience working as an ambulance pilot and working royals including charitable causes as well as a father, reinforce that the Cambridges make the right choice to not go straight into senior working roles after marriage.

I agree with Muhler that during William's preparation to become the future king, he realised that there are things that can and cannot do. And (as a side note) there are lots of learning processes and approach being considered for the future.

Thank you for sharing, really interesting article. I recall the snipes thrown at the Cambridges for not jumping into royal duties straight away.
The never explain never complain mantra came in to play and slowly but surely they have blossomed at their own pace. Also The time spent with the children, so important not everybody has that luxury.

 

[camelot23ca]

The full article was interesting and I thought it fleshed out some details that were helpful in figuring out how William sees the world and his place in it.

It briefly mentioned past tensions with Charles and how William and his father have become closer or found new respect for each other as William has become more involved in the work of The Royal Family, (and his opinion has become more valuable over time).

To me this article essentially supported the picture I already had of William as someone who, in both his public role and his personality, sits somewhere between Charles and The Queen.

 

[Hallo girl]

If you get the opportunity watch the documentary on the duchy if cornwall and how William is now becoming involved.

 

[Moran]

The article was very interesting, thanks for sharing.


Re: William and politics. We all have opinions about matters related to our jobs but not *being* our jobs. And I bet that, like me, most people keep silent in public, especially when they aren's supposed not to discuss certain things. It helps to avoid tension. And that's on a far lower than constitutional level.

 

[Fem]

It's one of the most interesting articles about William I've ever read. The man shining through that is stable, grounded, knowing his job and its limits and being able to accept that.

His method is not "hitting the ground running", but more a slow consideration and choosing the way with the best outcome - and one can't argue about how effective that is. He has a happy family life, his work is well-rounded and the pieces have been falling into the right places for years now.

An approach worthy of the future king.

 

[Blog Real]

William is being prepared to be King and i'm sure he'll have made some decisions about what he's going to do when he's king.
William seems to be committed to his role in the monarchy and has the help of the Duchess of Cambridge.
William also has the good example of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles.

 

[Alison H]

I'm sure that both Charles and William will make wonderful kings when their turns come, but everything that's being said about training and preparation reminds me more and more of what a wonderful job the Queen's done, and is still doing. She didn't expect to be in the direct line of succession until she was 10, and then, from 13 to 19, she had some "training" and preparation but no-one was leading any sort of normal life at the time. And then she suddenly became Queen when she was only 25. And what a brilliant job she's done.

 

[Erin9]

It's one of the most interesting articles about William I've ever read. The man shining through that is stable, grounded, knowing his job and its limits and being able to accept that.

His method is not "hitting the ground running", but more a slow consideration and choosing the way with the best outcome - and one can't argue about how effective that is. He has a happy family life, his work is well-rounded and the pieces have been falling into the right places for years now.

An approach worthy of the future king.

Good sum up. William comes across as grounded, stable, thoughtful. He has his own ideas- and he will fight for them- but he’s not impulsive or reckless either. A good approach IMO.

I wish I could have read the entire article, but I what I got to read was very good. I appreciate the original poster snipping out a large portion for us to read.

William’s method has been very effective- clearly. And- frankly- he and Catherine are an excellent example of how you can do things in a way that works for you- and do things differently than those who came before you- and still work within the over-all system. (IOW- no where near as rigid as some would lead you to believe.)

 

[yukari]

I wish I could have read the entire article, but I what I got to read was very good. I appreciate the original poster snipping out a large portion for us to read.

Hi Erin, you can click on the link to the archived file for the full article if you can't access behind the paywall.

(It's a long article, but worth the read)

Archive file: https://archive.ph/iaDYk#selection-1119.0-1119.676

 

[QueenMathilde]

What an odd topic. What makes the original poster think William is any less suitable to be king than his predecessors?

 

[Erin9]

Hi Erin, you can click on the link to the archived file for the full article if you can't access behind the paywall.

Thank you. I missed that when I originally read through the post.

The whole article was very good.

It really does demonstrate that William understands where he can push and do things his way- which has benefited himself and his family (his non royal jobs, slow ramp up into being a full time royal, etc) and what parts remain mostly as is (he gets that tradition, ceremony are important parts of it.). He seems very thoughtful.

I also liked reading how his approach to the media and its usefulness has matured.

His approach to politics seems sound too. He comes across as knowing where the line is.

 

[Fem]

Good sum up. William comes across as grounded, stable, thoughtful. He has his own ideas- and he will fight for them- but he’s not impulsive or reckless either. A good approach IMO.

I wish I could have read the entire article, but I what I got to read was very good. I appreciate the original poster snipping out a large portion for us to read.

William’s method has been very effective- clearly. And- frankly- he and Catherine are an excellent example of how you can do things in a way that works for you- and do things differently than those who came before you- and still work within the over-all system. (IOW- no where near as rigid as some would lead you to believe.)

You can read the whole thing in the archive, the link was posted above IMHO, it's very much worth it.

I agree - it's great that William has the wisdom to fight for what he wants slowly and surely, instead of blowing the whole thing up because he didn't get exactly what he wanted.

William and Catherine found their way. They were grounded enough to ignore the press calling them "lazy" or "work shy" for years, because they knew it's the best course for them and for their family. Now we reap the benefits of them having time to get comfortable with the press, with their roles, sharing their children with the public - and we have a wonderful king and queen in waiting.

 

[BriarRose]

That was a very interesting article.

I agree that William's slow and steady approach is working. And I also admire that he appears willing to get things done behind the scenes to accomplish what he feels is best, rather than score easy victories in public. It appears he not only understands his current place in the hierarchy but also what his place will be in the larger history of the monarchy.

It's easy to forget that he may still have another 25 years before becoming King. It wasn't that long ago that the second in line wouldn't have been expected to do anything at all other than marry and have children.

 

[Erin9]

You can read the whole thing in the archive, the link was posted above IMHO, it's very much worth it.

I agree - it's great that William has the wisdom to fight for what he wants slowly and surely, instead of blowing the whole thing up because he didn't get exactly what he wanted.

William and Catherine found their way. They were grounded enough to ignore the press calling them "lazy" or "work shy" for years, because they knew it's the best course for them and for their family. Now we reap the benefits of them having time to get comfortable with the press, with their roles, sharing their children with the public - and we have a wonderful king and queen in waiting.

Thanks. I got to read the whole thing.

Exactly- he managed to do things differently without blowing the whole thing up. No one ever gets exactly what they want, how they want it, when they want it. No one. Doesn’t matter what your job or life is. But there are ways to make things different, forge a new path, without leaving the forest and being happy and content with the results.

The ability to ignore nasty press and not let it dominate/dictate their lives and just push through is one of their assets for sure. I think I remember William commenting that he has some awareness of what is being said (ie- he certainly needs to have some awareness of general opinion given that he/the monarchy needs public support- or in the case of the racism issue- he has to know about it), but he doesn’t allow it to dictate his life either. It sounds like a healthy balance. Respond where needed- block out tabloid garbage.

IA with the poster who said THIS is how you do good PR. Indeed.

And you know what? The message fits just what has and is playing out. That’s the kind of PR you want IMO.

 

[Sunnystar]

Fantastic article. It gives a lot of insight to the sort of king he hopes to be but even more into the man he currently is, not to mention confirming what we all have suspected regarding his true opinion of Sussexit.

 

[Osipi]

Excellent article. It really encapsulates who William is. How he thinks and how he formulates getting things done and how he perceives himself in the grand scheme of things called life. One description of William kept floating through my mind as I read more and more of this article. It's actually been said before about a man, and an American man at that, but for me, it fits William. He speaks softly but carries a big stick. ?

 

[Prinsara]

Excellent article. It really encapsulates who William is. How he thinks and how he formulates getting things done and how he perceives himself in the grand scheme of things called life. One description of William kept floating through my mind as I read more and more of this article. It's actually been said before about a man, and an American man at that, but for me, it fits William. He speaks softly but carries a big stick. ?

Although the actual man always shouted and usually carried a gun. Will won't do anyone any favors if he dies at 60, anyway. He can be a little less manic and imperious than TR and still be a good king.

 

[Osipi]

Although the actual man always shouted and usually carried a gun. Will won't do anyone any favors if he dies at 60, anyway. He can be a little less manic and imperious than TR and still be a good king.

That's the kicker. As a person, Wills can get furious and passionate and he *does* go on shoots much like TR. The speaking softly part, for me, comes from his learning diplomacy and tact and the big stick is his experience out in the *real* world and knowing and interacting with "the people" and having the platform and the ways and the means to enact a difference slowly and steadily.

 

[Muhler]

Yes, I too have good hopes for William as king.

I believe he will be much more relatable to the average Briton/Canadian/Australian etc. It will also be a much more warm public image of the BRF that we will see.
Not only because he is well prepared, experienced and has had a long transition period, but because his foundation is solid. That is he has a stable marriage with time to genuinely getting to know and bond with his children. The marriage to a middle class woman, who is a part of a stable family with middle class values, has given him an insight older members of the BRF haven't got to nearly the same extent.
In other words: William's family is middle class, while the families of most of the older members of the BRF are aristocratic. With different family values and different ways of being a parent.

So when William becomes king, I think we will see the BRF turning more "continental" and much less aloof.
After a period people will like this new image, of that I'm sure.

 

[Queen Ester]

Thank you Yukari, very interesting

 

[Heavs]

Very good article. "PR done right" is correct. Interesting, thoughtful and not entirely blowing smoke up anywhere. You feel like you get some actual insight into a man trying to carve out his place in the system through some trial and error. They also did him a favour with the choice of photo. They also acknowledge the balancing act with the kids and easing them into unofficially official and PR things slowly.

I was one of the people who thought they were a bit "workshy", I knew why they wanted the time but I thought they could still do more but it has worked out very well for them and their family. And I can certainly see that you need to see for yourself what you'd actually good at and can contribute beyond "ribbon cutting". Interesting that he really had to fight for it and aides thought he might get bored with being a "middle class" guy. IT also shows that some courtiers have very set views of things without totally throwing them under the bus either.

It's also a good use of "authorised friends". Explaining their view on William and his strengths and vision without putting anyone else down and skating lightly over the Sussex elephant in the room right now whilst acknowledging it's not going to be easy.

I'd forgotten he spent some time at MI6 and GCHQ. My personal lightbulb moment with him was when he handled Israel, Palestine and Jordan in three days without putting a foot wrong. I know he had a lot of help and he was a ceremonial player not a negotiator but if he'd made a mistake it could have been disastrous.

It will be interesting to hear Roya Nikkah talk about it in the podcast in a few days.

 

[Mbruno]

I was very suspicious of William when he was younger because he didn't look terribly bright and his formal education was lacking somewhat. I also had doubts about his emotional stability given his family history.


Now, I see him prety much following in his grandmother's footsteps and becoming a very discreet, but popular royal who is mindful of his constitutional position and of what is expected of him or not. I actually now see him as likely to become a better monarch than his father. Charles' reign will be rocky, even though Charles is theoretically more experienced than William.

 

[Blog Real]

I think William is going to be a good king, and he's preparing well. He seems to be following in his grandmother's footsteps, is discreet and hardworking. I think William sees his grandmother as an example to follow.
William and Catherine are making a good pair and are going to be good kings when that day comes.

 

[camelot23ca]

I'm sure that both Charles and William will make wonderful kings when their turns come, but everything that's being said about training and preparation reminds me more and more of what a wonderful job the Queen's done, and is still doing. She didn't expect to be in the direct line of succession until she was 10, and then, from 13 to 19, she had some "training" and preparation but no-one was leading any sort of normal life at the time. And then she suddenly became Queen when she was only 25. And what a brilliant job she's done.

I think the current emphasis on training and formal preparation for future monarchs is overrated, (and tends to be more emphasized in some of the non-UK European monarchies). You don’t need to speak seven languages, have an elite secondary school education, an elite university education, elite graduate school training, training abroad, training at home, and so on down a long list of boxes to tick to be an effective modern monarch. An average person who has been given a solid foundation in several key areas can do just fine. QEII is an example of this - she learned on the job and rarely put a foot wrong even though society has undergone such rapid changes during her reign. We’ve also seen that people from very different educational and cultural backgrounds can become effective consorts with relatively little preparation. Being the consort isn’t the same as being the reigning King or Queen, but the skill sets needed are very similar.

I think William’s work as a helicopter pilot and especially with the air ambulance was immensely valuable “training” in that it allowed him to relate to different sorts of people in as natural a manner as possible. It was also physically and emotionally demanding work with real consequences if he didn’t measure up. There was nothing artificial or contrived about the challenges he faced. The fact that he signed up for a job that involved regular exposure to very stressful, sometimes tragic situations, and did it well says a lot about his character and maturity.

I do like the fact that William is using this time to make thoughtful choices about all aspects of his life. He recognizes that he’s in this for the long haul and is therefore taking care with how he puts things together. Again, that speaks to maturity rather than to training or preparation. I think if he were to become King tomorrow he’d do a good job, but he’s lucky that he has the luxury of time in a way that his grandmother didn’t.