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


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I really like the idea of taking a college course that's designed specifically for the student, instead of taking a bunch of classes that you're not interested in or no passion for.
 
I think its a safe bet that he will commute most days!
 
I really like the idea of taking a college course that's designed specifically for the student, instead of taking a bunch of classes that you're not interested in or no passion for.

Where has it been said that Wills has a passion for farming? Did I miss it? I think the opposite. He's going for a 10 week course because DAD arranged it. I don't think Wills would arrange it for himself. Noooooo.
 
If he had a passion for it he wouldn't need a course as he would have grown up understanding it - the way most people in agriculture do, especially when their father and grandparents own vast agricultural estates.
 
If he had a passion for it he wouldn't need a course as he would have grown up understanding it - the way most people in agriculture do, especially when their father and grandparents own vast agricultural estates.

Who said he had a passion for it? Ive not read that anywhere? what is the source?

He is going to be responsible not only for the Duchy but also the Sandringham and Balmoral estate. Not running the places day to day, but having an understanding of the issues these places and other rural communities face.

He is not a city animal, he is someone who enjoys the outdoor life. he wishes to understand the really dificult issues that face the rural communities in my country. I appreciate that.
 
I'm not saying that this is William's passion. I'm saying that I like the idea of a course that's tailord specifically for a student. It's good that William is trying to gain a better understanding of land management.
 
Whether he has a passion for it or not, more likely than not, he's going to one day be responsible for the Duchy of Cornwall. Good for him for wanting to learn as much as he can about managing it. Who knows who suggested he take the course? Maybe it was his father, or maybe it was William himself. Not knowing either of them, it's hard to know.
 
I think it's an excellent idea for William to be doing this course. I doubt he has any passion for the subject but he knows he's going to have to learn the stuff because his future will involve working with and understanding the management of the Duchy and the land generally. 10 weeks is long enough to learn a lot but not long enough for him to get bored. Although he could learn over time from his father, I think there is merit in doing a crash course and getting the opinions of others which he can then discuss with Charles and Charles' advisers.
 
Any type of knowledge is always a plus in anyone's book. This is good news for William. Education is a very powerful tool and he will need all the education he can get now for his future role.
 
If he had a passion for it he wouldn't need a course as he would have grown up understanding it - the way most people in agriculture do, especially when their father and grandparents own vast agricultural estates.

Um, that hasn't been how agriculture has worked in a very long time. There's too much information to absorb just through watching day to day work. That's why a LOT of universities have agriculture programs and why most people who manage large estates have some sort of formal education related to it.

I think criticism of this move is just criticism for the sake of it. It makes total sense for someone who will be expected to manage a large property to educate himself about the best methods for doing that.
 
The families that I know that have had farming in the blood have passed the information down through the families with no need for university degrees - and yes I come from such a family by the way. My cousin, who is now running the property learnt from his father and his son is learning from him. None went to uni and the son, having just left school has no intention of wasting his time going to learn from a uni course that will teach him what he already knows. He has friends whose families are wanting or have had their sons go to uni to do these courses - verdict - waste of time as they don't actually teach anything that they didn't already know having grown up doing it from childhood. It is regarded by many people as a 'pretentious' qualification to keep the next generation out of the hair of dad for an extra few years and give them some growing up time between 18 and 21 and also the chance to find a wife but not to learn anything they don't actually know.
 
That is really a narrow view of the subject. William really didn't grown up learning to manage vast lands. He does not have hands on experience to fall back on.
 
The families that I know that have had farming in the blood have passed the information down through the families with no need for university degrees - and yes I come from such a family by the way. My cousin, who is now running the property learnt from his father and his son is learning from him. None went to uni and the son, having just left school has no intention of wasting his time going to learn from a uni course that will teach him what he already knows. He has friends whose families are wanting or have had their sons go to uni to do these courses - verdict - waste of time as they don't actually teach anything that they didn't already know having grown up doing it from childhood. It is regarded by many people as a 'pretentious' qualification to keep the next generation out of the hair of dad for an extra few years and give them some growing up time between 18 and 21 and also the chance to find a wife but not to learn anything they don't actually know.

How many million pounds a year does their estate generate? How large is it? How diverse are the holdings? Because I could be underestimating your family, but I doubt it's at nearly the scale of the Duchy of Cornwall.

Managing an estate like that doesn't just require a basic familiarity with agriculture- there's a lot of business and management skills that are going to be necessary. Yes, he probably could have picked them up by working on the estate his whole life, but if he'd chosen to spend his whole life focused on that instead of going to university and serving in the military, there'd be criticism of him for just loafing around on his father's land like an old school country gentleman instead of getting a proper job and serving his country.

Plus, I'm fairly certain everyone who's critical of this decision would be far more critical if he jumped into managing the estate with no preparation and mismanaged it. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
 
He is going to have oversight of experts who are responsibile for the day to day running of the Duchy plus Sandringham and Balmoral (the DoE does this on behalf of the Queen currently). He needs to have knowledge of how it all works and wider economic and environmental issues if he is to have credibility.

He and Catherine have this is common - they want to understand the nuts and bolts before they take things on. It is apparent in how they choose their patronages; also, IMO, how Catherine is hands on with George before she hands over to a full time nanny and in what William is doing here.

All credit to him. Dont understand anyone who is either against or cynical about taking on new information
 
William will one day run the Duchy of Cornwall.. this agricultural training is positive and will be good for William's self confidence. I hope Catherine has inherited her mother's flair for business and will be an excellent sounding board for William in duchy matters. He will benefit from the added experienced channels of the Middleton family.
 
William will one day run the Duchy of Cornwall.. this agricultural training is positive and will be good for William's self confidence. I hope Catherine has inherited her mother's flair for business and will be an excellent sounding board for William in duchy matters. He will benefit from the added experienced channels of the Middleton family.

there is no way the Middletons will be involved in this. The management team that Charles has put in place are excellent and making so much money that Duchy Originals alone has just given £2.8m to the PoW's charities.

The royals will not muddle family and business.

The Middletons have their own business to run
 
there is no way the Middletons will be involved in this. The management team that Charles has put in place are excellent and making so much money that Duchy Originals alone has just given £2.8m to the PoW's charities.

The royals will not muddle family and business.

The Middletons have their own business to run

William is married to a Middleton so at it is likely that at least one Middleton will have some input.
 
Kate will be involved in all aspects of their lives...including this.


LaRae
 
In reading the bios of several leading landowners in Great Britain, many have earned college degrees in land management or agriculture fields.
 
I think its great for William to study about farming, the land and the management of estates. No, I don't think for your average farm such a qualification is necessary as its more likely that one would learn from doing and seeing from their parents/grandparents. However William is different, he joined the military and learnt about that which is another important part of his future role. Another person could have gone straight into working on a farm but William has a wide range of future roles he needs to meet.
Whats wrong with learning even more about something he will be responsible for in the future?
 
In another thread people were complaining that as William doesn't have university degrees in economics, political science, business, etc, like other European royals that he'd lack the ability to be a proper King. Now that he's getting an intensive education about the Duchy he will be running someday, and doing it from a prestigious University with learned professors and other students, he's wasting his time and should be focusing on something else.

Some people would drive a saint to swear.
 
In another thread people were complaining that as William doesn't have university degrees in economics, political science, business, etc, like other European royals that he'd lack the ability to be a proper King. Now that he's getting an intensive education about the Duchy he will be running someday, and doing it from a prestigious University with learned professors and other students, he's wasting his time and should be focusing on something else.

Some people would drive a saint to swear.

I'm no saint - :censored:
 
there is no way the Middletons will be involved in this. The management team that Charles has put in place are excellent and making so much money that Duchy Originals alone has just given £2.8m to the PoW's charities.

The royals will not muddle family and business.

The Middletons have their own business to run

Obviously not directly Cepe but families support one another through their private family times. I don't doubt Carole and Michael have wonderful discussions with William about his life and future. He knows he's loved by them and that he can trust them. Yes, I firmly believe the Middleton family will help him in an un-official way for the rest of their lives with wisdom and encouragement from their own life experiences. It's what families do. They have in my family.
 
What a great surprise! And very positive! And if he learns something about his father's passion for organic food, that will be a good part of it. There is much to be learned about how to raise food organically, which Charles knows. Charles is somewhat scandalized that people "ridicule" him for his organic gardening. (I don't know Charles, of course, but he has sometimes had the totally quizzical look on his face when someone questions his interest in organics, as if to say, "they just don't get it, do they?")
 
Kate will be involved in all aspects of their lives...including this.


LaRae

Catherine is not a Middleton anymore, whilst that's one side of her family, IMO she should be more dutiful to William and the RF especially if it's involving business matters such as the Duchy of Cornwall. The Middletons run a party business, Charles and his team run the Duchy of Cornwall, there's a difference.

Well looks like they've found something for William to do, evidently not enough work going over the winter period so they've signed him up so he doesn't look lazy. Wonder if Catherine's engagements will increase in this ten week period?
 
I think this was a good opportunity at a good time. Glad Williams is taking this step in his future. I think it will serve him well to take some classes and continue his education.
 
Catherine is not a Middleton anymore, whilst that's one side of her family, IMO she should be more dutiful to William and the RF especially if it's involving business matters such as the Duchy of Cornwall. The Middletons run a party business, Charles and his team run the Duchy of Cornwall, there's a difference.

Kate will always be a Middleton. The fact she's married William doesn't change that. She still has the same blood and familial ties, and her children are as much Middletons as they are Mountbatten-Windsors, it's just that she is now known by her husband's surname and her children will be known by their father's surname.
 
It has always been a "given" that William would take over the land holdings of his father one day. My question is...why did he not study for this while at Uni? He would, IMO, be better off taking a course in how to manage people. He's not going to do any of the work himself, he'll just be managing. When one is in charge of large landholdings, one does not chuck hay. Charles has always "guided" things re: farming and I don't expect William to do any different.

Also, I think it sends a bad message that Kate and George are not going with him. What's with that??? Are there no short-term rentals in Cambridge? Fishy to me.
 
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