What now for William & Catherine: Future Duties, Roles and Responsibilities

[royal-blue]

When Charles becomes King, how big an increase in his royal workload is William likely to see?

Obviously he will have new responsibility with the Duchy of Cornwall but this in itself won't lead to an increase in his public role.

 

[Osipi]

When Charles becomes King, how big an increase in his royal workload is William likely to see?

Obviously he will have new responsibility with the Duchy of Lancaster but this in itself won't lead to an increase in his public role.

He has already stepped up his workload considerably since becoming a full time working senior royal.

According to Iluvbertie's tallies from the Court Circular on engagments, William is almost on an even level with the Countess of Wessex as far as engagements.

HRH The Countess of Wessex – 77
HRH The Duke of Cambridge – 73

I don't see William being involved at all with the Duchy of Lancaster as that is the King's domain and is a separate organization in and of itself. He might, on occasion, begin to learn the workings of the Duchy of Lancaster over time just as he is now getting more and more involved with the running and management structure of the Duchy of Cornwall which he will inherit when Charles becomes King.

When Charles becomes King, William will be titled as the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge in case you're wondering.

 

[royal-blue]

He has already stepped up his workload considerably since becoming a full time working senior royal.

According to Iluvbertie's tallies from the Court Circular on engagments, William is almost on an even level with the Countess of Wessex as far as engagements.

HRH The Countess of Wessex – 77
HRH The Duke of Cambridge – 73

I don't see William being involved at all with the Duchy of Lancaster as that is the King's domain and is a separate organization in and of itself. He might, on occasion, begin to learn the workings of the Duchy of Lancaster over time just as he is now getting more and more involved with the running and management structure of the Duchy of Cornwall which he will inherit when Charles becomes King.

When Charles becomes King, William will be titled as the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge in case you're wondering.

Sorry I meant Duchy of Cornwall and have edited my post now.

 

[Osipi]

S'ok. I do that all the time and usually its a big indication that I haven't had enough coffee in me yet.

 

[MARG]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look all that good being on par with his Aunt. She is way older than him and he should be moving forward as Charles heir. Unfortunately, having another baby in the house is going to slow him down as we live in a world of co-parenting. Catherine will want to have the odd engagement if only to get out of the house and we should see both of them at Royal Ascot if only for Ladies Day.

I do not mean he should be taking on heaps of engagements but rather raising his profile, is seen here and there. We need to see him at the World Cup and Wimbledon just as much as the Opening night at the Ballet, Opera, Theatre, etc. a man for all seasons or, more correctly, a man with wide interests and knowledge.

Sadly, that takes really good PR and KP have never been noted for their expertise in that area

 

[Countessmeout]

There is nothing stopping them from co-parenting and still working. These aren't people who have to worry about someone home with the kids. They have a loving nanny who works full time, and a housekeeper whose duties included 'part time babysitting' when needed.

When off maternity leave, there is no reason that both of them cant take on more duties. Many parents work 40 hours a week with kids. Doing even 2 or 3 engagements a week would not make them bad parents. 6 hours a week away from the kids??? Many parents would be happy at such a luxury. With the older kids in school, even easier. Kate goes to an engagement at the national gallery at night for 2 hours, still has all day with the 2 youngest, and afternoon with George. The kids would likely be in bed.

Living in London, they don't have to leave the kids over night for many duties.

 

[Rudolph]

William’s aunt built up her profile over decades just like his father. Here’s a question. Should Harry at sixth in line be doing more than his aunt who’s thirteenth in line?

 

[Countessmeout]

William’s aunt built up her profile over decades just like his father. Here’s a question. Should Harry at sixth in line be doing more than his aunt who’s thirteenth in line?

Perhaps that is best left for the Harry thread This is the Cambridge thread.

Anne's work ethic is not going to vanish because her place in line for succession falls. She is the princess royal, and daughter of the monarch. Until she retires, I doubt she will ever slow down. For her its simple old fashioned work ethic.

 

[Osipi]

I think the Aunt that Marg was referring to is Sophie as its Sophie's and William's recent tally of engagements that I was referring go. Sophie is just slightly ahead of William this year in numbers of engagements.

 

[Rudolph]

I think the Aunt that Marg was referring to is Sophie as its Sophie's and William's recent tally of engagements that I was referring go. Sophie is just slightly ahead of William this year in numbers of engagements.

No matter how you slice it my point still stands regarding Harry.

 

[Osipi]

I just think of all of it as "Team Windsor". Its not a competition or a race to the top of the heap like who sells the most Girl Scout cookies.

Aw crap... now I want Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies.

 

[Jacknch]

Indeed, we can discuss Harry's future in the http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...army-june-2015-what-will-he-do-now-38361.html thread. Meghan also has her own thread here: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forum...-duties-roles-and-responsibilities-43858.html

 

[royal-blue]

Would people consider William and Harry's roles in the BRF to have diverged so far?

 

[Curryong]

Not a lot, especially when they were both part-time and many of their engagements centred on charities within the umbrella of the Royal Foundation and on the Heads Together campaign. It will diverge more and more in the future though, especially as the Queen undertakes fewer public engagements.

 

[Somebody]

There is nothing stopping them from co-parenting and still working. These aren't people who have to worry about someone home with the kids. They have a loving nanny who works full time, and a housekeeper whose duties included 'part time babysitting' when needed.

When off maternity leave, there is no reason that both of them cant take on more duties. Many parents work 40 hours a week with kids. Doing even 2 or 3 engagements a week would not make them bad parents. 6 hours a week away from the kids??? Many parents would be happy at such a luxury. With the older kids in school, even easier. Kate goes to an engagement at the national gallery at night for 2 hours, still has all day with the 2 youngest, and afternoon with George. The kids would likely be in bed.

Living in London, they don't have to leave the kids over night for many duties.

All the hours that go into preparing for visits and/or (new) Royal Foundation projects seem to be missing in the above quotation. While I agree that there is still room for additional engagements, it's not that they only work the hours mentioned in the CC and can spend all time left with their children.

 

[Countessmeout]

All the hours that go into preparing for visits and/or (new) Royal Foundation projects seem to be missing in the above quotation. While I agree that there is still room for additional engagements, it's not that they only work the hours mentioned in the CC and can spend all time left with their children.

Yes all the hours their staff do into planning events and speeches and more is a lot.

I am sorry but implying royals even work part time jobs is a stretch. For an event where they don't make a speech or anything, I highly doubt they do more then maybe an hour of reading a brief that was made by their staff. This is something easily done over tea when the kids are in bed.

Again even if they spent 3-4 hours a day doing leg work, that is hardly making them not hands on parents. When you have full time childcare, house care, gardener and even cook, you can give up a few hours to paper work.

Co parenting doesn't require either parent to work less then part time.

And before I get jumped on for attacking the couple, goes for All royals.

 

[JSH]

That is simply not true. I've seen a video where Princess Anne and others talk about the hours of prep work they do before an engagement.

 

[Osipi]

I distinctly remember when Kate was organizing a basket to be auctioned off for one of her charities (I can't remember which one off hand) from her hospital bed when she had HG with George.

As their royal roles grew and their Foundation keeps adding more and more projects, its pretty much a given thing that the order of things would change. We have William preparing for his role as the Duke of Cornwall/Prince of Wales while Harry will most likely be focused on Commonwealth youth incentives. Even with the Foundation, each project such as United for Wildlife has its own structure intact for management. Keeping abreast of things that are happening with the different incentives and projects is an ongoing thing. That's why we see a lot of "The Duke of Cambridge today attended a meeting with XXX of YYY" in the CC.

That's why each royal has a private secretary to keep the order of things going smoothly as far as their day planners. Things get added to the planners months in advance and everything goes according to plan even to the point of deciding on the wardrobe for the event. When you think of it this way, you realize how these royals can't just decide to "call into work sick" unless its a dire necessity (like Kate's HG) as there is so much work and planning put into these events and the last thing a royal wants to do is let people down.

We all are used to having schedules but I don't believe any of us have lived with a schedule where things are planned and executed right down to the minute. That, in and of itself, would be totally stressful for me. Then again, I'm retired and my time is my own. The working royals have to schedule their times of their own in advance for the most part.

 

[Somebody]

That is simply not true. I've seen a video where Princess Anne and others talk about the hours of prep work they do before an engagement.

Exactly, they also have weekly meetings to decide which invitations to accept or not to accept. And especially for the women they spend far more time than I would personally like buying new clothes and dressing up for each and every engagement.

So, while Catherine clearly is part-time and prioritizes taking care of the children (with indeed the help of others - so managing staff is probably also part of her 'job'), I expect William to work about full-time, just not in a regular day job.

 

[tommy100]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...s-annus-MIRABILIS-Reinvention-Cambridges.html

(for those who like me aren't smart enough to be 100% sure mirabilis means "amazing, wondrous, remarkable" in latin)

Not so long ago they were known as ‘Workshy Wills’ and ‘The Duchess of Dolittle’ and viewed as rather stuffy and boring. How times have changed!

For in a year of self-generated royal calamities, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have proved — as demonstrated by a prime-time TV appearance with national treasure Mary Berry and that captivating family snap on their Christmas card — to have quietly morphed into the country’s most popular royals.

***
Their determination to ignore the naysayers and follow the Queen’s example by focusing on what matters, namely their family and charity work, has paid dividends. As a result we see a new Brand Cambridge: solid, relatable, reliable. And in these times of political upheaval, royal advisers feel strongly that it is what the country needs.

***

Whitehall sources tell me they have been so impressed by what the couple achieved over the past 12 months that they plan to put William and Kate at the vanguard of a post-election, Brexit-soothing charm offensive, both in the UK and abroad.

***

The past year has seen a stepping-up of their royal duties on the international stage in support of the Queen, with a triumphant visit to Pakistan — their most challenging and potentially dangerous foreign tour to date — followed by a statesman-like solo trip to the Middle East for William.

I’m told that, while the couple accept that foreign tours will play a larger part in their lives from now on, they intend to work their trips around their young family as much as possible.

‘Family time remains an absolute priority,’ a source tells me.

***

Kate, 38 next month, has a new-found confidence and has found her groove in her work with families and young people. And she is being asked to keep the Queen company more at official engagements — a sign of the faith the Sovereign places in her.

William often talks privately of his pride at how well his instinctively shy and private wife has coped with the spotlight, and is clearly in genuine awe of her abilities as a mother, giving their three children the kind of stable upbringing he craved as a child.

‘It’s very clear that the Cambridges’ status within the Royal Family is evolving,’ one source tells me. Their role has changed a lot in the past year. They are building a new team around them with a keen eye on the future and the Duke is definitely listened to more.’

 

[MJudith]

Let us be serious, the cambridges have always been the most popular couple of the royal family and it will remain so... they are more conventional, traditional, they do not polarize people as much as the Sussex (though I do love them )

I was like a lot of other people kind of disappointed by the pakistan tour, very short, very low key... It did not have the majesty of the new Zealand tour with George, the Indian one or the one in Canada with both of the little ones.

If you want to see a big change in the work of the cambridge, I see nothing against it but I won't follow you there. They were good before, there are still good now, they will be good tomorrow . As I told some times ago, I thought the HEADS together campaign was a huge win for Will, Kate and Harry. I am much less convinced by Kate's new early years program or at least the way it is presented to the public. If you are doing great things, you should definitely highlight it better.


To be relatable to other people, I personnally would not stress either that I choose a flight to be able to walk my children to school. Nobody doubts the cambridge's love for their children and this is the kind of tidbit information that tends to irk people that don't have this privilege rather than to endear them to you.

 

[tommy100]

I merely posted link to article, I agree that the Cambridges have in fact adopted the well worn mantra “keep calm and carry on” and have largely been doing what they’ve always done. If anything IMO, outside factors shall we say, have possibly made that routine and way of being royal seem more attractive. In terms of tours the Pakistan tour was perhaps more boring due to logistics and security concerns. We and the media sadly also can’t always expect the children to attend tours as now they are approaching the age when all 3 will be in some sort of education it makes much more sense to try and schedule tours within the school terms so the family can still have proper quality time off together. Their raised profile is also IMO understandable as when others are making headlines for wrong reasons, whether their fault or not, the appeal of the (let’s be honest in some ways boring) Cambridges is greater, tie in the fact they are taking on increasingly important roles in the RF, in many ways taking over Charles’s role as he takes on more of the Queen’s duties.

 

[MARG]

Its an interesting article, but the snide asides were very unpleasant. This compulsive urge to compare the heir and spare is pretty tired. Ptince Albert felt it growing up and then as Duke of York, Andrew certainly felt it and we all know about Harry.

They are now conciously working to be what they are destined to be and their commitment can't be underestimated but we need to remember that this is still only tabloid fodder.

 

[Osipi]

Things are going ahead for the Cambridges just like they're supposed to. Its been in the works for quite a while now and once the Cambridges signed on as full time working royals, they've been steadily defining and refining their roles and gearing up for the next reign. Its called a soft transition of the monarchy (which for the most part, none of us has ever witnessed before).

Its no surprise. It has nothing to do with other members of the British royal family and the handwriting has been on the wall for a very long time that this is the way things were going to go. Its expected. Its in the cards. Its the evolution of the future monarchy under Charles, then William and eventually, George and so forth down the line.

 

[soapstar]

Just a reminder: Let’s make sure to keep the discussion on the Cambridges and their future roles and not turn this into a discussion about how various royals are treated in the media. Thanks.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I can't help but question their decision to move to Adelaide Cottage in light of recent events.

Within a year or two William will be invested as Prince of Wales. They will probably need a larger staff...and yet another move.

Where next? Windsor Castle?

 

[HRHHermione]

I can't help but question their decision to move to Adelaide Cottage in light of recent events.



Within a year or two William will be invested as Prince of Wales. They will probably need a larger staff...and yet another move.



Where next? Windsor Castle?

They needed a place near where their kids will go to school. I always assumed Adelaide was going to be a bridge to Windsor Castle and that’s why they didn’t really change anything about the property.

 

[BriarRose]

And my understanding is that Adelaide was just sitting there, unused. Whether the Cambridges used it or not, it was still going to be there.

I imagine they purposefully chose a property that did not need expensive renovations for a reason if the plan was to eventually move to Windsor Castle. Also, the space for staffing needs can certainly be absorbed by Windsor Castle, with the King's permission.

 

[Somebody]

I can't help but question their decision to move to Adelaide Cottage in light of recent events.

Within a year or two William will be invested as Prince of Wales. They will probably need a larger staff...and yet another move.

Where next? Windsor Castle?

Are you suggesting that there is a relationship between the number of staff needed and whether William and Catherine are The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge or The Prince and Princess of Wales? William is the new heir and therefore the Duke of Cornwall - which is the more meaningful step compared to becoming the Prince of Wales.

They needed a place near where their kids will go to school. I always assumed Adelaide was going to be a bridge to Windsor Castle and that’s why they didn’t really change anything about the property.

I agree. The family might have known that she wasn't expected to live until the end of the year (although older people can always surprise you), so William and Catherine might have decided to move to Adelaide Cottage now so the children can start school at their new school from the first day of the year, while knowing fully well that this was a temporary solution before moving into Windsor Castle (as has been speculated).

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

I agree. The family might have known that she wasn't expected to live until the end of the year (although older people can always surprise you), so William and Catherine might have decided to move to Adelaide Cottage now so the children can start school at their new school from the first day of the year, while knowing fully well that this was a temporary solution before moving into Windsor Castle (as has been speculated).

Agreed. I always saw Adelaide Cottage as an interim between the death of QEII and the ascension of King Charles III. Other than painting the interiors, no significant renovations were made to Adelaide Cottage. I cannot see them moving out into the main Castle until after Charles' coronation, which is likely to be a year away. This way the kids have privacy during this transitional time