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

[GracieGiraffe]

I am reminded of the Flintstones with some pterodactyl flying with a passenger cabin on his back, and then remarking dryly to the camera, "it's a living."

If we can love what we do to earn a living, this is the greatest thing on earth.

 

[ladongas]

I hope William does become a pilot for the air ambulance. Since he is not the first in line to the throne, he faces perhaps 30 or more years of planting trees or unveiling plaques and trying to look fascinated by the inscription. At 65 Charles still faces perhaps 10 or more years of waiting in the wings and even through the Queen is delegating more duties to him, he still has to wait his turn. And with the life longevity experienced by the royals, William faces an equally long period before he becomes king. I've read about how William isn't too excited about becoming king. Having a real career might really help him feel like he is doing something meaningful. He apparently enjoyed his time in the military. Maybe flying again is the best thing for him to do.

The Queen is a wise woman. She knows what her life has been like for 60+ years as Queen. She has seen what Charles' life has been for his entire adult life. Perhaps she feels that William and Catherine will soon become the heirs, and she wishes them to have as much freedom and peace as they can before that happens.

Most parents (grandparents) wish for their children to have better lives than they have had. My grandpa didn't want his kids to be tied to the farm. William's future is certainly decided for him, but perhaps his Granny wants him to enjoy a degree of freedom that she and his father never had. The Monarchy isn't going to fail if William cuts a few less ribbons over the next decade. His grandmother probably wants him to be happy. As long as he lives a dignified life with a sense of obligation and respect for his future subjects, why shouldn't he live a full life until his time comes?

 

[MARG]

Richard Kay strike again! Amazing the number of people who believe what he writes.

And he always manages to have a dig at Charles.

Hmm, I think that the 'War of the Wales's' was his "proving ground" and since he is really the 'last man standing' he has some devoted followers who lack the impartiality required to consider he may be wrong or just plain guessing and still believe anything he writes on principle.

His person animous toward Charles is so thoroughly intrenched that I believe he is unaware of how much it skews his writing and thus his credibility outside of his 'fan base'. Let's face it, any time most of us read a DM article we refer to the author before we give it our own personal credibily rating.

Richard Kay is certainly taken a lot less seriously now than he was in his heyday. Most of us are aware that "inside" sources usually have an axe to grind and so now we have William Wobbling about his wife, his job, his future, etc.

I believe that with the lull in any news of great import or inside scandal, Kay is now sizing up Prince William as a subject, and surprisingly, he has discovered, and shared with us, the knowledge that he has a temper like his father and is ambivelent about whether he wants to be a man of the people, a 'Prince' or a 'Mate'.

I await the further character anyalysis with bated breath. Will William still be Diana's perfect possum or will he have become Charles petulant progeny? Find out in next week's thrilling installment . . . . .

 

[Elly C]

The Queen is a wise woman. She knows what her life has been like for 60+ years as Queen. She has seen what Charles' life has been for his entire adult life. Perhaps she feels that William and Catherine will soon become the heirs, and she wishes them to have as much freedom and peace as they can before that happens.



Most parents (grandparents) wish for their children to have better lives than they have had. My grandpa didn't want his kids to be tied to the farm. William's future is certainly decided for him, but perhaps his Granny wants him to enjoy a degree of freedom that she and his father never had. The Monarchy isn't going to fail if William cuts a few less ribbons over the next decade. His grandmother probably wants him to be happy. As long as he lives a dignified life with a sense of obligation and respect for his future subjects, why shouldn't he live a full life until his time comes?

An excellent post - this makes a lot of sense. I'm sure Charles wishes the same for William & Kate too.

 

[SElizabeth]

I have thought for a long time now that William's attitude towards a life as a full time royal has been affected by the events of his young life, mostly the way his mother was treated by The Firm and the press. If he is weary of being a full time royal who can blame him........He does seem like a caring husband and father and maybe now that he has a son he is more then weary for he would not want what happened to him to happen to his son. Just my impression, yet is someday he got so fed up and frustrated that he just said to Harry, here the crown is yours....I am done! I would not blame him in the least after all regardless of how much money, power, position or titles he has, nothing there is worth the feeling of helplessness when it comes to protecting his family. The media is relentless in tracking him and his family down like hunted animals, the media in Denmark has done just that lately and now some are really going to suffer what their actions have done to people. Things are getting to a point of out of control with the media and it might be affecting his decisions on what to do with his future.

 

[royalistbert]

If he intended to give it all up he would not allowed for all his children to have titles.

 

[wyevale]

In the unlikely event that William gave up his right to accede to the throne, legally he couldn't do the same for Prince George [who remains the next in line to the throne after him].

Prince Henry would only ever accede if both William and George are removed from the scene... {in some terrorist outrage for example}.

 

[Iluvbertie]

If he gave it up then he would simply be forcing George into the position that much earlier as he can't have George removed from the line of succession until George is 18 and able to officially ask the parliament to do so in his own right.

As for titles - no - Cambridge it William's title and is inheritable. The title of HRH Prince/Princess for his children would have to be readdressed as there were specific LPs issued to give them that styling so those LPs would have to be withdrawn to remove the HRH from any subsequent children but George still qualifies under the 1917 LPs.

In 1936 it was determined that as Edward VIII qualified for HRH Prince under the 1917 LPs he was still a Prince after the abdication. The reason for then giving him a Dukedom was to stop him standing for parliament, if he so desire - as a commoner, and a prince is only a commoner he would have been eligible but as a Duke he would have to sit in the House of Lords (I don't know if he ever took his seat as Duke of Windsor - but he had taken it as Duke of Cornwall so maybe he didn't see the need to take it again).

 

[Pranter]

I think after his abdication he spent very little time in the UK. At least that's always the impression I have gotten.


LaRae

 

[SElizabeth]

In the unlikely event that William gave up his right to accede to the throne, legally he couldn't do the same for Prince George [who remains the next in line to the throne after him].

Prince Henry would only ever accede if both William and George are removed from the scene... {in some terrorist outrage for example}.

Your so right, I hadn't thought about George being in line after him, heh, could William as the father of George(the heir) after him, say that he has chosen for George and that he doesn't want any of his children to have the crown...does he have that right? I can see William's frustrations with the media and somehow, even though he smiles nice yesterday, I bet he is boiling mad at them and very angry. A person can only take so much torment from anyone(and he has been tormented by the press his entire life).....when is it enough for him? I mean after all, he did not ask for this in his life, it was chosen the day he was born.....I just feel for him and he probably won't give up the throne, yet I don't see him being very happy with it..........really a sad way to live a life.

 

[SElizabeth]

If he gave it up then he would simply be forcing George into the position that much earlier as he can't have George removed from the line of succession until George is 18 and able to officially ask the parliament to do so in his own right.

As for titles - no - Cambridge it William's title and is inheritable. The title of HRH Prince/Princess for his children would have to be readdressed as there were specific LPs issued to give them that styling so those LPs would have to be withdrawn to remove the HRH from any subsequent children but George still qualifies under the 1917 LPs.

In 1936 it was determined that as Edward VIII qualified for HRH Prince under the 1917 LPs he was still a Prince after the abdication. The reason for then giving him a Dukedom was to stop him standing for parliament, if he so desire - as a commoner, and a prince is only a commoner he would have been eligible but as a Duke he would have to sit in the House of Lords (I don't know if he ever took his seat as Duke of Windsor - but he had taken it as Duke of Cornwall so maybe he didn't see the need to take it again).

What are LPs? And being Georg's father he has no rights as to his son's future, it is already in place the day he was born, I can understand that is what happened to William because his father/mother would never have a thought like that for him, yet William is different.......he has suffered the press all his life and it's made him angry(remember how is mother was hounded by the press and I bet in some way he feels they are still responsible for her death at day)He grew up with that and something like that is sure to effect his thinking about the press/media.

 

[royalistbert]

William has accepted the Order of the Garter and the Thistle. He has carried out investitures. He has taken a land management course to prepare himself running the Duchy of Cornwall. This is not a man who is about to give it all up. He may be reluctant but he is dutiful.

 

[HighnessN]

William has never seemed reluctant to me, I just got the feeling he did not want to step on the Queen's and Charles toes. I also think the Queen and Charles have decided that there is no need to rush him since he is 2nd in line to the throne.

I do think he was a problem with the press and though he tries, he has difficulty letting go of the past(dont blame him). I do think he will have to find a way to work with them though.
Media also have to be honest with themselves and stop with this whole " we don't understand why he shuts the media out" nonsense. Some of them were there during the Diana days, they know what happened and they should understand why he is over protective of Catherine & George.
I also think some of the media wish for the good old days aka the Diana days. They want to have direct access to the cambridge and their friends. They want the scandals and the front page exclusives which are hard to come by these days.

 

[cepe]

William has never seemed reluctant to me, I just got the feeling he did not want to step on the Quuen's and Charles toes. I also think the Queen and Charles have decided that there is no need to rush him since he is 2nd in line to the throne.

I do think he was a problem with the press and though he tries, he has defficulty letting go of the past(dont blame him). I do think he will have to find a way to work with them though.
Media also have to be honest with themselves and stop with this whole " we don't understand why he shuts the media out" nonsense. Most of them were there during the Diana days, they know what happened and they should understand why he is over protective of Catherine & George.
I also think some of the media wish for the good old days aka the Diana days. They want to have direct access to the cambridge and their friends. They want the scandals and the front page exclusives which are hard to come by these days.

I agree with you except most of the royal correspondents today were not around in the Diana days and I think they get fed up being linked to the journos of that time.

As for whether William should be full time, Ive thought a lot about this and my view is the media keep comparing his "lack of duty" with that of the Queen. They forget that she had no choice as her father died, but she and the DoE were expecting another 10-15 years together raising a family iwhilst in the naval service and I think they regret that.

She then asked Charles to leave the navy to support her Jubilee and then didnt give him anything to do. He had to make his own royal life.

As someone said earlier, she is a wise woman and has learnt from her own experience. She wont make the same mistake again.

It is the media who want the Cambridges out there because they sell papers, especially Catherine. HMQ and DoE dont want to take a rest, or a back seat, or slow down. If they wanted to, they would have done. We need to be careful not to believe verbatim what the media write. They resent Williams secrecy (as they see it) and their editors are putting pressure on. Im expecting a backlash from the media because of these issues.

 

[Osipi]

I think William is at a point in his life where there are many options to consider and he's not going to make a decision rashly and he's going to take every option he has into deep consideration and talk about them with those that can provide wisdom and insight into the choices (The Queen, Charles, his family etc).

Its not that he does not want the royal life but its a question of when is the best time to step into that spotlight. It might be to their advantage to live primarily at Anmer Hall while working for the air ambulance service especially if the Cambridges are planning to expand their family. It may be that as the heir to the heir, they know stepping into the prime spotlight of the Firm, it is possible that their activities will cast shadows on other things the Firm is presenting because that's how the media works. It follows who is the most "popular" as that is what sells. Working with the air ambulance in Norfolk would provide the sense of doing something worthwhile for William while also being close enough that his duties for the Firm and the Cambridges charities are still within grasp. He, also, may be considering working with the air ambulance service as a volunteer.

Things can change in the blink of an eye and I think all of the Firm realizes this. Especially The Queen as she suddenly was thrust into the role of monarch far earlier than was expected. William has gradually been learning the ropes so to speak should it be necessary to step into those roles tomorrow but he also realizes just where he is on the totem pole of the Firm and with that position, he has options to take various other paths until he is absolutely needed in a royal full time role.

Those working for the Firm are not marionettes or chess pieces played out on the chessboard of the monarchy but real people (albeit people with an expected destiny) with real hopes, dreams and ambitions to find their niche in life just as anyone of us do.

Wobbling is a good thing. Rash decisions or just going along with the opinion of what others think could or would perhaps create feelings of unhappiness and unfulfillment in the future.

 

[Osipi]

What are LPs? And being Georg's father he has no rights as to his son's future, it is already in place the day he was born, I can understand that is what happened to William because his father/mother would never have a thought like that for him, yet William is different.......he has suffered the press all his life and it's made him angry(remember how is mother was hounded by the press and I bet in some way he feels they are still responsible for her death at day)He grew up with that and something like that is sure to effect his thinking about the press/media.

LPs are Letters Patent that are issued as an "official decree". When William married Kate, The Queen issued letters patent decreeing that William had been created The Duke of Cambridge.

 

[Dman]

There are so several options on the table for the Cambridge's. We all are waiting to see what they will do. Whatever William decides to do career wise, there will have to be a healthy balance with career and royal life. The way I see it, they can't go back to dong very little engagements due to working around military life or what have you. It's jut time for them to step up to the plate.

 

[SElizabeth]

As you said, the media want the Cambridge's out there because it all boils down to one thing only it seems, MONEY. The more papers the royals are in(W/C) the more money they make......ugly!
I feel for William, I was there when he was born and read/watched/witnessed the whole darn fairy tale marriage fall to pieces from day one. I still have books, newspapers articles, all type of stuff about Diana, Charles, and the family. This is about the time I really got into the royals of the world was when I saw a picture of Diana with the sun behind her showing her legs before she even married Charles(I was also then disgusted with the media).
I saw how the media affected William and his brother, and I honestly do believe that even some of Harry's wild behavior at times was his way of dealing with the pressure he was under when growing up without his mother(both boys clearly loved their mother deeply), and all the media did to Diana and her boys has made them partly what/why/how they treat the media today..........I clearly blame the media for their attitude towards them and any backlash that the media does just might turn the royals really against the media. You can only want so much from a person in their position, you can't be there with them 24/7, they do and need a private life. If the media doesn't back down there will be serious trouble ahead for the media and the royals, bounderies must be set in stone for the future most surely.

 

[iisuzieii]

As you said, the media want the Cambridge's out there because it all boils down to one thing only it seems, MONEY. The more papers the royals are in(W/C) the more money they make......ugly!
I feel for William, I was there when he was born and read/watched/witnessed the whole darn fairy tale marriage fall to pieces from day one. I still have books, newspapers articles, all type of stuff about Diana, Charles, and the family. This is about the time I really got into the royals of the world was when I saw a picture of Diana with the sun behind her showing her legs before she even married Charles(I was also then disgusted with the media).
I saw how the media affected William and his brother, and I honestly do believe that even some of Harry's wild behavior at times was his way of dealing with the pressure he was under when growing up without his mother(both boys clearly loved their mother deeply), and all the media did to Diana and her boys has made them partly what/why/how they treat the media today..........I clearly blame the media for their attitude towards them and any backlash that the media does just might turn the royals really against the media. You can only want so much from a person in their position, you can't be there with them 24/7, they do and need a private life. If the media doesn't back down there will be serious trouble ahead for the media and the royals, bounderies must be set in stone for the future most surely.

Especially now that its going to affect children...which probably makes william especially on edge...

I do think alot of the problem with the media and maybe his "court" is they assume things and don't know for a fact. I think the only person who will know his definite plans will be kate,

I can see why its hard now for him to makes decisions...it doesn't just affect him, it affects his wife, his son and his future children...just imagine the pressure he puts on himself to make the right decision for him and his family.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

You can only want so much from a person in their position, you can't be there with them 24/7, they do and need a private life. If the media doesn't back down there will be serious trouble ahead for the media and the royals, bounderies must be set in stone for the future most surely.

I agree with you. W&K are miles away from 24/7 attention though, George hasn't been seen in the UK at all apart from the day he left the hospital. 24/7 is one extreme, their current life in the UK almost the other extreme, for themselves & George. They need to find a balance, and I agree here with Dman:

The way I see it, they can't go back to dong very little engagements due to working around military life or what have you. It's jut time for them to step up to the plate.

 

[Dman]

Yeah, if they're not going to become full-time royals then there must be a better balance between the career and official duties. William has gone on to mention that his SAR job was making it very difficult for him to focus on his official duties and it was putting a strain on the balance.

The thing is that making everyone a bit confused on the subject is that there are some options on the table but it's not known what option he's going to take. The only official notice that we've been given is that he's in his "transitional year." What comes after that isn't know. Full-time official duties or whatever.

I must say that full-time royal duties isn't a death sentence though and the royals aren't on the public stage 24/7. They have their private and family time and take their vacations too. It's about the way you go about carving out your own roles that really make the difference.

 

[ladongas]

I think William is at a point in his life where there are many options to consider and he's not going to make a decision rashly and he's going to take every option he has into deep consideration and talk about them with those that can provide wisdom and insight into the choices (The Queen, Charles, his family etc).

Its not that he does not want the royal life but its a question of when is the best time to step into that spotlight. It might be to their advantage to live primarily at Anmer Hall while working for the air ambulance service especially if the Cambridges are planning to expand their family. It may be that as the heir to the heir, they know stepping into the prime spotlight of the Firm, it is possible that their activities will cast shadows on other things the Firm is presenting because that's how the media works. It follows who is the most "popular" as that is what sells. Working with the air ambulance in Norfolk would provide the sense of doing something worthwhile for William while also being close enough that his duties for the Firm and the Cambridges charities are still within grasp. He, also, may be considering working with the air ambulance service as a volunteer.

Things can change in the blink of an eye and I think all of the Firm realizes this. Especially The Queen as she suddenly was thrust into the role of monarch far earlier than was expected. William has gradually been learning the ropes so to speak should it be necessary to step into those roles tomorrow but he also realizes just where he is on the totem pole of the Firm and with that position, he has options to take various other paths until he is absolutely needed in a royal full time role.

Those working for the Firm are not marionettes or chess pieces played out on the chessboard of the monarchy but real people (albeit people with an expected destiny) with real hopes, dreams and ambitions to find their niche in life just as anyone of us do.

Wobbling is a good thing. Rash decisions or just going along with the opinion of what others think could or would perhaps create feelings of unhappiness and unfulfillment in the future.

BBM
This is the last period of his life when William will have options. When his father becomes King, William's ability to make choices will all but disappear.
I don't see him as a wobbler. I see him as a thinker. He's a serious man, and a serious man will not move forward, never questioning himself or others. It is his life. It is his destiny to be King. And he is more than entitled to do it his own way. Never fear, his chain will be yanked by his father or by HM or by the fierce DoE if he is not behaving and proceeding to their liking.
The media and the fanboys-and-girls of the blogosphere have no dog in this hunt other than our own preferences. Step up to the plate? William will be shown where the plate is by others.

 

[Iluvbertie]

A few notes:

LPs = Letters Patent - the official instrument that determines titles. Currently there are two in place that affect who is and who isn't HRH:

1917 - George V's which said that the following people would be HRH Prince/Princess:

the children of the monarch - Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward
the male line grandchildren of the monarch - William, Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise, James, Richard, Edward, Alexandra and Michael
the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales - George
the spouses of the males listed above - Camilla, Sophie, Kate, Birgitte, Katherine and Marie-Christine

1996 - Elizabeth II's - removing HRH from women who gained it on marriage - thus stripping Diana and Sarah of the HRH

2013 - Elizabeth II's - extended the 1917 LPs to give HRH to ALL children of William not just his eldest son

There has been some discussion here and elsewhere about the rights of Louise and James with some arguing that as no LPs were issued to strip them of their rights to HRH and others arguing that all that is needed is for the monarch's 'will to be made known' and it has been made known in this instance.

As for Willliam's dislike of the press - I can understand that but it must go beyond the press who were providing a service for the masses who were fans of Diana and went and bought everything about her - and many still do. He might publicly imply the press but I wouldn't be surprised if it was, in fact, the public in general - all those screaming fans who would have paid the media for the photos that would have been taken that night and thus created the market for the pictures. I don't blame the media for Diana's death but her fans as they were the ones who would have made the chase profitable.

 

[iisuzieii]

It is very possible he considers shaking hands at royal engagements very boring...but, if thats the case maybe he should pick more challenging or interesting charities to be a part of.

I think he will do whats right for his family...and god forbid anything happens he would quit whatever he's doing.

 

[MARG]

I find it intriguing that people are discussing William's dissatisfaction in life and the (remote) possibility that he would abdicate his position.

William on tour is happy and gregarious. William at home is petulant and dissatisfied.

On tour he and his wife were the subject of pretty much 24/7 attention, and yet at home he has not even released the odd family bhoto let alone a photo of George.

The perception that he both dispises and is oppressed by the media is headline news, and the contradictions in his attitude do not go unnoticed. But they also do cause speculation and that is why we have all this angst.

Charles life was under scrutiny, admittedly not in the same league as William due only to time and technology. Even Ann was hounded unmercifully and I well remember the outrage when a photographer's flash unseated her going over a jump while Eventing. She got up out of the dirt, checked her horse and then went off like a rocket at the media, telling them to "Naff off". She could have been killed and yet the media whined loudly at her "foul language".

The point is, everything is relative and William has had more than his fair share of coddling by his family, the Army, the Air Force and last but by no means least, by the Firm. He is a grown man and he needs to present an adult face to the world. At present we have the frowning, sullen visage of a petulant child sulking and not engaging the public at any time other than when he is at an engagement.

His demeanour ensures that the media and the public are aware that "he is not amused". He makes no attempt to hide it. It seems to have gotten to the stage that when he has an engagement people are starting to wonder if he really wants to be doing this, worse if he even wants to be who he is and the inevitable question, "what's going to happen . . . ".

 

[Pranter]

I have not really seen any examples of a petulant sulking not engaging the public William....what is this analysis being based on?


LaRae

 

[cepe]

It is very possible he considers shaking hands at royal engagements very boring...but, if thats the case maybe he should pick more challenging or interesting charities to be a part of.

I think he will do whats right for his family...and god forbid anything happens he would quit whatever he's doing.

that is a seriously damaging statement for the monarchy if it was true.

There is no evidence that when he is out and about that he finds it boring.

I think that he just doesn't want to that all the time - and lets be honest - we all want variety in our work and why should he be different?

He'll do what's required of him but there is no need to do it yet. There is plenty of capacity in the current full time BRF (actually some could do more) without W/K/H so he has time.

Just stop going on and on and on about "stepping up to the plate" - there is no need, no lack of resources and standards are not slipping. I have no idea why he cant be left alone to make his mind up.

 

[SElizabeth]

BBM
This is the last period of his life when William will have options. When his father becomes King, William's ability to make choices will all but disappear.
I don't see him as a wobbler. I see him as a thinker. He's a serious man, and a serious man will not move forward, never questioning himself or others. It is his life. It is his destiny to be King. And he is more than entitled to do it his own way. Never fear, his chain will be yanked by his father or by HM or by the fierce DoE if he is not behaving and proceeding to their liking.
The media and the fanboys-and-girls of the blogosphere have no dog in this hunt other than our own preferences. Step up to the plate? William will be shown where the plate is by others.

I see William as a very serious person brought on by what has happened to his mother and her death, this has effected his life totally. He does not like the media at all, and I feel as he has done with his marriage to Catherine and the way he is trying to shield his family that he will continue to do things his way. I am sure that he does consult the Queen, DoE, his father and maybe others on what he is going to do, yet he will do it his ways period. I believe that The Firm(Queen, DoE, Charles, mostly these 3) will give him all the time he needs and let him do things his way. I really don't think anybody, even Catherine, is going to yank his chain or show him the way to the Plate, he has know about the Plate his entire life and so far he appears to be doing just what he wants.
One big question: Why do we, the public, need to know what he is going to do? It really is none of our business what he does on a daily basis........after all he does have a life of his own to live.......
I was told a long time ago, that putting the focus on someone else/something else takes away from your own life..........maybe the media needs to take a huge step back and let him alone for a while and take the pressure off him, could the palace(grey men in suits as Diana used to call them) put the pressure on the media? The way the media played a role in Diana's death should be a warning sign for them.

 

[SElizabeth]

that is a seriously damaging statement for the monarchy if it was true.

There is no evidence that when he is out and about that he finds it boring.

I think that he just doesn't want to that all the time - and lets be honest - we all want variety in our work and why should he be different?

He'll do what's required of him but there is no need to do it yet. There is plenty of capacity in the current full time BRF (actually some could do more) without W/K/H so he has time.

Just stop going on and on and on about "stepping up to the plate" - there is no need, no lack of resources and standards are not slipping. I have no idea why he cant be left alone to make his mind up.[/QUOTE]

I so agree with you, there are plenty of other royals that could be helping the Queen and the Duke..........let them get their tush out there and do some of the work, William and Catherine aren't the only royals in the British family..........just because he is young, handsome. has a beautiful wife and son, doesn't mean he needs to step up to the plate.....to know that for the rest of your life, a camera is going to be following your every move and that of your family must be heart wrenching indeed for him. And I believe that yes the media needs/must be more understanding of him. He isn't coddled by a long shot, just think if anyone knows that everytime they go outside the fear of a camera and people (and there are tons of people that want to do harm to others in this world,) that that can do harm to him because of who is he, that in itself is frightening. Try to put yourself in his shoes, walk around the block in his shoes(he can't walk around the block) and that in itself is very sad. All of us here can go out the door and take a walk without a camera in our face, he can't!

 

[Lee27]

Exactly what does Prince William OWE any of us or his future subjects????? It is certainly not access to him 24/7 or daily photos of his son. If the Duke and Duchess represent the crown, support their charities, and lead a scandal-free or less overly dramatic marriage than Charles & Diana, we should rejoice. For many, it seems it is never enough. Every action or facial expression is overly analyzed for evidence of marital discord or irritation of being in public. Kate is criticized for being "plastic" yet you would have throught she rode naked through London over her bare bum!! If you are going to get upset over something - make it something really important - like spending nights bar hopping, or driving drunk or adultery. We should rejoice that William and Kate really seem to like each other, that they are happy and this happiness extends to being parents.

We need to accept that William has a long wait before he becomes king and many of us may not be around to see it.