Prince William's Suitability to be King


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
seems to me he is qualified right now he can read prepared speeches wave shake hands cut ribbons and smile
...not to be flippant about it but honesty were talking about a powerless ceremonial figurehead here. who will have nothing to do with the running of the country and make no decisions.. that could help or hurt the kingdom or the commonwealth.
he will be surrounded by aides and staff that will assist him in protocol and tell him what he needs to know in virtually every situation he will face.

if he had real power then yeah this notion he needs more education and exp might be applicable but not for a ceremonial figurehead
 
:previous: If I have to have a powerless ceremonial figurehead, I want my powerless ceremonial figurehead to be as well educated as all the other powerless ceremonial figureheads.

Seriously though, I want my Head of State to be someone I can respect as much as I respect our current Governor-General: Quentin Bryce, AC, and State Governor: Professor Maria Bashir AC, CVO. These talented, high achieving, and charming women are merely our Head of State's representatives in our Country and State respectively.

A little background:

Governor-General: Quentin Bryce, AC:

Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, AC, (born 23 December 1942) is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia (the first woman to hold the position) and a former Governor of Queensland. Born in Brisbane, Queensland, as Quentin Strachan, she spent her first years in Ilfacombe, with her family subsequently living in a number of country towns around Australia. She attended the University of Queensland, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, becoming one of the first women accepted to the Queensland bar.

In 1968 she became the first woman to be a faculty member of the Law school where she had studied, and in 1978 she joined the new National Women's Advisory Council. This was followed by a number of positions, including the first director of the Queensland Women's Information Service, the Queensland director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner in 1988. Her services to the community saw her appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988, and a Companion of the Order of Australia and Dame of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 2003.

Bryce was appointed the Governor of Queensland in 2003. Although some concerns were raised during her time in the position, her five-year term was to be extended until 2009. However, on 13 April 2008, before the completion of the initial five years, it was announced that Bryce was to become the next Governor-General of Australia. The decision was generally well received, and on 5 September 2008 Bryce was sworn in, succeeding Major General Michael Jeffery, becoming the first woman to be the Governor-General. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Bryce

Governor: Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO:

Professor Bashir, the first woman to be appointed Governor of NSW, took up her office on 1 March 2001.

Born, of Lebanese descent, in Narrandera in the Riverina district of NSW, and educated at Narrandera Public School and Sydney Girls High School, Marie Bashir gained her bachelor degrees in medicine and surgery in 1956 from the University of Sydney.

Dr Bashir taught at the Universities of Sydney and NSW, increasingly working with children's services, psychiatry and mental health services, and indigenous health programs. At the time of her appointment as Governor of NSW, she was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney (a post she took up in 1993); Area Director of Mental Health Services Central Sydney (from 1994); and Senior Consultant to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern (from 1996) and to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Kempsey.

Professor Bashir's widespread involvements and interests have included juvenile justice, research on adolescent depression, health issues in developing countries, education for health professionals and telemedicine and new technologies for health service delivery. Along with many professional medical association roles, she was, at the time of her appointment as Governor, a member of societies as diverse as Amnesty International, the National Trust, the NSW Camellia Research Society and the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Centre, as well as being a patron of the Sydney Symphony and Opera Australia. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 for her services to child and adolescent health; and was invested by Her Majesty, the Queen, with the insignia of a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2006.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/web/common.nsf/key/resourcesSystemTheGovernorofNewSouthWales

Is William Windsor suitable to be my head of State? When stacked up against these two outstanding human beings, young William pales into insignificance. He may be the elder son of the current Prince of Wales and therefore the future King of the UK, but I respect, and assess, people based on their demonstrated skills and achievements, not because of who their parents chanced to be.

I am glad that by the time William is the King of the UK, it will not be an issue for my country, for by then we will have one of our own numerous outstanding citizens representing us, and us alone, on the world stage.
 
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Suitable

Say that also in the Denmark forum - same question asked about Prince Frederik. And I think you are looking at this in a purely (too) technical way.


Not really - it wouldn't matter what education, experience etc he had. He is suitable to be King for the simple reason of his birth.

He could have failed all the way through school, never got a job, been a playboy and he still would be suitable to be king because all he needs is to be born.


Sorry Iluvbertie but I think you're confusing the words 'eligible', which William certainly is, and 'suitable' :previous:

To be suitable means to be RIGHT for the position one is to take up, which William may or may not be
 
Sorry Iluvbertie but I think you're confusing the words 'eligible', which William certainly is, and 'suitable' :previous:

To be suitable means to be RIGHT for the position one is to take up, which William may or may not be
That's a great distinction. I hadn't thought of that.
 
:previous: If I have to have a powerless ceremonial figurehead, I want my powerless ceremonial figurehead to be as well educated as all the other powerless ceremonial figureheads.

Seriously though, I want my Head of State to be someone I can respect as much as I respect our current Governor-General:

I have to sign this.

I would not what some kind of "empty shell" or "puppet" as a head of state. Somebody who is handsome, knows how to give a speech, which somebody else wrote, waves to his people and smiles would be not enough for me.
A head of state - even if he has no real power in the country - should instruct and controll his servants or secretaries. And he should be able to do so. It would be horrible to me, if i knew that my head of state is ruled and instructed by his servants or majordomo. That would make him to a marionette with the strings in the hand of his majordomo or private secretary. There is a way to prevent this: either you have a strong character (which the queen seems to have), or you have a education which makes you on par with your staff.
 
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I agree with CharlotteAmalia, actually that was a question I was asking myself too. How come Prince William is not better trained and educated for his future role as King of UK and 15 more states.

While I agree he will get assisstance and advise from helpers all his life, it does not mean him knowing what these advisors are talking about would not help. Actually at times, he may even get conflicting advise from different people and would have to make up his own mind.

We do not know what kind of challenges he will face in the future, I would expect him to be at least well trained in UK constitution. To his credit, he probably already is. He does not need a formal university education when he could have the best tutors privately.

William is going to represent UK internationally so I would expect him to speak multiple languages. I do not know whether he speaks any foreign languages.

As far as I know, QEII is fluent in French. Queen Victoria was fluent in multiple languages and again to my knowledge received excellent private education which prepared her for her future role as the Queen.

While you learn your job best doing your job, a formal education can speed up that process. International relations, political science, basic economy and law education would train PW better for his role. Philisophy is also something any head of state should study.

He will always be briefed by staff before his engagements, but even knowing the basics in these areas would help him go through his briefings more easily, ask pointed questions to his staff and understand everything better. He would also be less prone to make mistakes/gaffes when speaking to other people during his engagements. I have no idea what kind of briefing RF members get, but I have enough education to know that none of these topics are easy to comprehend for an uneducated mind. The more he knows the more he can perform his duty. His knowledge would also impress people, which is always excellent PR.

I also think having a more formal education with degrees relevant to your duties may be the way to go. Our Queen is of another generation, when people respected the monarch, thought she was appointed by God, it was her right and duty, etc... None of these are true today. Now people are questioning monarchy's relevance. Some want to abolish it and these people will only increase in numbers when Charles becomes the king. Having a future king who is formally training for the job, not passing his time working other jobs and performing a few engagements per year, waiting for his time, would at least silence some of those critics who believe having born is not enough qualification to be the head of state.

We have to look forward, not past since things have changed so much. That is why I don't think bringing up the past monarchs is a good idea. Prince Charles got a degree from one of the best universities in the world. While his studies were not the ones mentioned here, they were not completely irrelevant. Since then, I believe he carved himself a place and showed the world that he works tirelessly for his country and the world. Of course for many people his personal life shadows his achievements. Yet I see Prince Charles more of a modern day king.

Prince William on the other hand. I am not sure...
 
Sorry Iluvbertie but I think you're confusing the words 'eligible', which William certainly is, and 'suitable' :previous:

To be suitable means to be RIGHT for the position one is to take up, which William may or may not be


He is right for the position simply because he was born to it. I am not confusing eligible with suitable. I don't see that there is a difference in a heriditary system as the only person suitable is the person eligible.

One of the fundamental flaws of the system and one of the reason for me becoming a republican.
 
As far as I know, QEII is fluent in French. Queen Victoria was fluent in multiple languages and again to my knowledge received excellent private education which prepared her for her future role as the Queen.

Queen Victoria started learning her job after she became Queen - she had no training for it and was trained initially by Lord Melbourne. Had she had any training the entire BedChamber Affair wouldn't have happened. Her real training began after she allowed Albert to share her load - after she had been Queen for a number of years and had made a number of mistakes. She also refused to train her own son and heir but he did fine.

While you learn your job best doing your job, a formal education can speed up that process. International relations, political science, basic economy and law education would train PW better for his role. Philisophy is also something any head of state should study.

He will always be briefed by staff before his engagements, but even knowing the basics in these areas would help him go through his briefings more easily, ask pointed questions to his staff and understand everything better. He would also be less prone to make mistakes/gaffes when speaking to other people during his engagements. I have no idea what kind of briefing RF members get, but I have enough education to know that none of these topics are easy to comprehend for an uneducated mind. The more he knows the more he can perform his duty. His knowledge would also impress people, which is always excellent PR.

I also think having a more formal education with degrees relevant to your duties may be the way to go. Our Queen is of another generation, when people respected the monarch, thought she was appointed by God, it was her right and duty, etc... None of these are true today. Now people are questioning monarchy's relevance. Some want to abolish it and these people will only increase in numbers when Charles becomes the king. Having a future king who is formally training for the job, not passing his time working other jobs and performing a few engagements per year, waiting for his time, would at least silence some of those critics who believe having born is not enough qualification to be the head of state.

We have to look forward, not past since things have changed so much. That is why I don't think bringing up the past monarchs is a good idea. Prince Charles got a degree from one of the best universities in the world. While his studies were not the ones mentioned here, they were not completely irrelevant. Since then, I believe he carved himself a place and showed the world that he works tirelessly for his country and the world. Of course for many people his personal life shadows his achievements. Yet I see Prince Charles more of a modern day king.

Prince William on the other hand. I am not sure...[/QUOTE]

Charles degree was from a good university but from looking at his results - not all that strong which isn't a surprise seeing as his results shouldn't have allowed him to go to that university. What Charles has mastered is all the things you say he should have studied at uni - by doing these things.

William has a degree from a good university and has a large inheritance to manage so will learn about economics simply from managing that fortune. He will learn what he needs as he goes.

Book learning only goes so far. Practical learning is preferable.

For a British monarch, who has no power, having too much book learning could lead to problems when they make a comment to the PM, or other visiting dignitary, that could conflict with the government's view. The British monarch has no views on anything officially. Their views are those of the government so having ideas on things like politics or diplomatic relations could actually get in the road of them doing their job - waving, smiling, small talk, signing the legislation (their only real constitutional role and a child can do that).
 
Where have you heard that William is fluent in French and Spanish, Marie of The Sea?

Family. I was told he learned French from his mother and grandmother Windsor and Spanish from his Uncle Spencer. The Italian is from Kate and Prince Charles.
 
Family. I was told he learned French from his mother and grandmother Windsor and Spanish from his Uncle Spencer. The Italian is from Kate and Prince Charles.

He learned Spanish from his Uncle Charles Spencer? I am going to go out on a limb here...since we don't know what William does 24/7. But when would he have had enough time to spend with Charles Spencer that be fluent in Spanish?
 
Diana said that she couldn't speak French when she visited France with Prince Charles and so she wore Chanel getting off the plane there. Of course, she might have learned some later.


Family. I was told he learned French from his mother and grandmother Windsor and Spanish from his Uncle Spencer. The Italian is from Kate and Prince Charles.
 
Family. I was told he learned French from his mother and grandmother Windsor and Spanish from his Uncle Spencer. The Italian is from Kate and Prince Charles.

William doesn't speak fluent French or Spanish! He did the compulsory few years of French at school, he took Spanish at GCSE level (10th grade) but did no languages for A-Levels which shows he wasn't particularly skilled at languages. He didn't do French at GCSE, the subjects you take at exam level are the ones you are best at. William has never spent any kind of extended time in either a French speaking or Spanish speaking country, unlike the Queen he was never educated privately and so never had a French speaking governess, or for that matter a French speaking nanny! Diana did not speak French.

Contrast this with the Kents who did learn French within the family, Marina of Kent spoke French at home. Her son the current Duke was a French interpreter in the Army. (He also studied at Le Rosey in French part of Switzerland) Alexandra lived with a French noble family in Paris for a while, Michael also speaks French and added Russian and became a Russian language interpreter for the Army. His interest in Russian was sparked at an early age as Marina used to visit the Grand Duchess Xenia who lived in exile in the UK. The Duke of Kent's oldest grandson Baron Downpatrick has just graduated from Oxford with a degree in French and German. Prince Michael's daughter Gabriella is actually fluent in Spanish, she has a degree in Hispanic literature and as a journalist wrote articles for Spanish Hola, in Spanish!

Italian? Well Kate did spend 3 months at the British Institute in Florence learning Italian so she knows some basics, she's not spent any time in Italy since. She didn't take Italian as an A-level subject, her A-levels (very good ones) are public knowledge. I doubt whether when they're together William and Kate revise Italian verbs and vocabulary together. Charles doesn't speak Italian, he does speak French.

Sadly while the Queen and DoE are fluent in at least 2 languages, it seems foreign languages are not priorities among their grandchildren. Their children are slightly better, Edward and Sophie are fluent in French, as is Charles. Their grandchildren, Beatrice and Eugenie took French at GCSE level, neither took it at A-Level and neither are studying a language at university. (Neither did William)

William will learn 'on the job' like his predecessors. While the CVs of the European heirs looks impressive, they did not begin fulltime royal duties until they were well into their 30s. Prince Phillippe who is the best educated was even criticised that he was spending so long studying. He was told not the bother taking a degree, just spend a short time at the universities which was what Margarethe and Beatrix did. They studied a variety of individual subjects but never completed a degree. Crown Princess Victoria was following the same road, but last year had a degree stitched together for her based on the various courses she had done.
 
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Sadly while the Queen and DoE are fluent in at least 2 languages, it seems foreign languages are not priorities among their grandchildren. Their children are slightly better, Edward and Sophie are fluent in French, as is Charles. Their grandchildren, Beatrice and Eugenie took French at GCSE level, neither took it at A-Level and neither are studying a language at university. (Neither did William)

^ That's pretty much the norm these days for kids I find. Lol! It's a stereotype but seeminly true, the vast majority of British children/younger generations barely see the point in learning foreign languages to any great depth & skill. Firstly I don't think the generally available schooling here is adequate in the subjects nor are the requirements in the curriculum as strict in making sure students are learning at least one foreign language, if not two, to a high level. It's almost to the point where you don't have to even do one foreign language at GCSE. In general, as a country, we seem to be quite lazy at learning other languages these days & aren't doing a good job at promoting the need to learn other languages, we almost assume that we won't need to learn any as everyone else speaks English nowdays! :rolleyes:
 
The best type of education is a combination of formal and in-formal. The best university can only give you so much knowledge before the real-world rears its occasional ugly head. So you need to be able to deal with both in order to do well. A thirst for knowledge is also key. After all it signals that a person has real desire to keep improving themselves which is a great quality in a leader.

What William didn't learn in university he can learn by hiring a private tutor. I feel like he should learn some foreign languages (or at least one) and he should spend some time outside the U.K. in a commonwealth realm(s) studying. I also hope that William will one day become more confident in his role. I feel like he is reluctant to take on the role that he was given at birth. I have no evidence to back this up it is just a perception. Perhaps if he does more public events he will become more confident.

It may be a bit off topic but even Harry can benefit from learning these things. I know that he suffers from dyslexia but he can still try. Harry hits back at his critics | The Sun |News After all he is quite high up there and he will play a role as an advisor to his brother as well as performing his own role for the family.

I wonder why the royal family never suggested to the boys about the potential options they may have by expanding the very tiny circle they live in.
 
sorry but William himself said a few years ago he speaks fluently french and didnt want to speak it in public. Prince Charles speaks also french, I saw a documentary on french tv a wee ago where he spoke with a photographer (very famous I try to found his name, I forgot for the moment) and he is interviewed in Highgrove about the climate change by a french tv chanel.William speak swahili fluently too and it was proved by an african journalist of Hello Magazine a few years ago who try at a polo match after the interview of william for his 18 birthday to speak with william and he concede that it was correct and that William understand and speak the language with him. This is facts and not "a source told me ...". one source is william himself, the other the journalist of Hello.
 
Yann Arthus-Bertrand ........ "Le Prince Charles" Il y a plus de vingt ans, le Prince Charles a créé une ferme biologique à Highgrove, dans la campagne anglaise. Au fil des années, le lieu est devenu une véritable institution en Grande-Bretagne. Pour évoquer ses nombreux projets, le Prince offre un entretien exclusif à Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
 
sorry but William himself said a few years ago he speaks fluently french and didnt want to speak it in public. Prince Charles speaks also french, I saw a documentary on french tv a wee ago where he spoke with a photographer (very famous I try to found his name, I forgot for the moment) and he is interviewed in Highgrove about the climate change by a french tv chanel.William speak swahili fluently too and it was proved by an african journalist of Hello Magazine a few years ago who try at a polo match after the interview of william for his 18 birthday to speak with william and he concede that it was correct and that William understand and speak the language with him. This is facts and not "a source told me ...". one source is william himself, the other the journalist of Hello.

William has never said he can speak French fluently! The most he has conceded that he can speak when it comes to a foreign languages, is during one interview he stated he was trying to teach himself Swahili but wasn't being very successful. William hasn't given many interviews so this is easy enough to confirm! Being able to respond to a simple question after a polo match doesn't make William fluent in Swahili.

If William could speak French fluently he would have taken French for his exams, he didn't. He also did not study French at university and there has been no mention of William having a private tutor. His post-university study has all been maths and science orientated to qualify as a pilot. There was also mention that William would start having private tuition in constitutional law as he's the heir to the heir.

I already stated the Charles can speak French, that's been long established, as well as Edward and Sophie.
 
I already stated the Charles can speak French, that's been long established, as well as Edward and Sophie.
I think Charles is able to speak German as well. He spent a lot of time in Germany with Prince Phillip's relatives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i1a7F_IfvE&feature=fvw (0:50-1:10 minutes, you could easily understand him, but he is sounding very English when speaking German. Haakon of Norwegen is similar good in German http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OsUSjmgps 0:55 on...).
I'm pretty sure his German is a lot better than the average German, spoken by English guys. (I lived in the UK for a year. When guys started flirting with me in a pub or club and they found out i was German, they always said the same 2 or 3 sentences: "Ich möchte bitte ein Bier" ("I'd like a beer, please" - no i was not the waitress ;)), "Ich habe einen Hamster, einen Bruder und eine Schwester" ("I have got a hamster, a brother and a sister" - this sentence seems to be from the school lessions when they started learning German and should introduce themselves to the class.) It was nice that they were trying to speak German. But it was also very funny, because quite often it was very hard to understand and it were always the same sentence.:whistling: But there are also people, who speak German very well.)
 
Sorry Charlotte1 but William did say he can speak French fluently, and it's not because you didnt read or hear this interview that you can doubt what I said. William is always underestimate himself so of course He said he was'nt successful at speaking SWAhili but if you check the board you can see the interview of the Hello journalist who engage himself in a conversation in swahili. Or you can email to Hello Magazine to check the information. But dont try to impose your point of vue as fact please. I speak spanish (so I'm french) and I never and couldnt pass this language in my studies. Things are not so simple. Prince Charles speaks French and did he study at university? (I recognise I have no the answer, but I believe it's was not the case). Learn french is a tradition in the family for historic reasons. I'm checking the web to find the interview and you can do the same to prove (but really prove) the contrary
 
He will be told everything he needs to know, why waste years of your life at university when you're going to be told what you need to know when the time comes?

What an interesting idea, that time at university or education is wasted :whistling:

That's not my idea though. I think aquiring a very good education, is the best thing, what can happen to you :flowers:. Spending time at a top university is such a privileg! I only went to "normal" university, and I would have relished in a top one! It's highly stimulating.
 
What an interesting idea, that time at university or education is wasted :whistling:

That's not my idea though. I think aquiring a very good education, is the best thing, what can happen to you :flowers:. Spending time at a top university is such a privileg! I only went to "normal" university, and I would have relished in a top one! It's highly stimulating.

That indeed sounds a bit rude imo, to me it doesn't hurt when someone has a mind of his/her own - I think it always helps to have (some) knowledge yourself.
 
Prince William's Education



I remember reading that Pr. William received private tutoring while at Eton from an Oxbridge scholar or two (perhaps more?) and that the Queen had weighed in on, and had a strong interest in, his education/preparation. He also met with her privately weekly for a number of years as part of his preparation.

After her father ascended the throne, according to Marion Crawford's book, Princess Elizabeth had regular private tutoring from a famous constitutional scholar/historian (perhaps more than one?) for several years. Thus her education probably exceeded that of most students who studied history, per se, and her education/preparation was more focussed on her future.
 
I don't think William will be a good King. He reminds me too much of the Duke of Windsor; he wants his cake, and eat it, too. He and Kate are always know for going on vacations here and there, and seen WAY too often partying at questionable nightclubs, yet, where are the causes? What charitable organizations does he even quietly support and work for? All I see and read, are party, party, party. And oh, they want their "privacy". They still want their tax-payer funded fun, though.
I know it's not politically correct to say it, but I hope he and Kate recede into the background. How come regular English people are not hyped up about his wedding? :whistling:
 
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I don't think William will be a good King. He reminds me too much of the Duke of Windsor; he wants his cake, and eat it, too. He and Kate are always know for going on vacations here and there, and seen WAY too often partying at questionable nightclubs, yet, where are the causes? What charitable organizations does he even quietly support and work for? All I see and read, are party, party, party. And oh, they want their "privacy". They still want their tax-payer funded fun, though.
I know it's not politically correct to say it, but I hope he and Kate recede into the background. How come regular English people are not hyped up about his wedding? :whistling:

Well, I for one disagree with your post. If all you see and read is party, party, party then I think you don't read all there is to read. He is training to be a full SAR pilot with the RAF, he wouldn't even have time for it. Catherine has worked for her parents' company, and as long as there are no reports to the contrary, I assume that she is still doing that.

And, I believe it has been mentioned multiple times on this forum, William does not live off taxpayer funds. His finances are provided by mainly the British Army. More information about William's finances can be found here:
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/faqs/who_pays_for_princes_william_and_harry__2092138025.html.

As for your question about charities, I recommend reading this thread:
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f34/prince-williams-charities-and-patronages-18465.html.
 
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I don't think William will be a good King. He reminds me too much of the Duke of Windsor; he wants his cake, and eat it, too. He and Kate are always know for going on vacations here and there, and seen WAY too often partying at questionable nightclubs, yet, where are the causes? What charitable organizations does he even quietly support and work for? All I see and read, are party, party, party. And oh, they want their "privacy". They still want their tax-payer funded fun, though.


Could you please tell me the last time they were seen out partying together?
If you check the Current Events thread, William and Kate have done a lot of charity events (FA Association work, BAFTA work, Help For Heroes events, Starlight Foundation events)
William is currently in the RAF and Kate is still a private citizen, she has no reason to participate in royal events until after the 29th April.
William does his fair share, even though he doesn't have to.

Again, the last time they went on holiday was when?


I know it's not politically correct to say it, but I hope he and Kate recede into the background. How come regular English people are not hyped up about his wedding? :whistling:

Considering William will one day be King and Catherine his Queen; receding into the background is not an option unless they give up their titles.
Being a "regular english person"; I know many people who are "hyped" up for the wedding.

What an interesting idea, that time at university or education is wasted :whistling:

What I meant was extra years of university education; a lot of people say he should go and get a degree in Poltical Science, Economics or History. I don't see the point in doing an extra 3 to 5 years when he'll be told everything he needs to know.
 
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What I meant was extra years of university education; a lot of people say he should go and get a degree in Poltical Science, Economics or History. I don't see the point in doing an extra 3 to 5 years when he'll be told everything he needs to know.

I find the idea that he will be told everything he needs to know a little unsettling. Who is going to be telling him all he needs to know, and how can he be sure that it is in fact all he needs to know? If others are telling him everything he needs to know, why aren't they doing the job? Rhetorical question, of course.

It may well be that William is having/has had/will have private tutoring from appropriately qualified scholars, but, if that is the case, I would like to know about it.

We don't really know much about William at this stage, and hopefully it will be a long time before he is king, so he has plenty of time to acquire the knowledge that I would like him to have. One thing tertiary education does is teach you how to learn, so he already has that skill.
 
I find the idea that he will be told everything he needs to know a little unsettling. Who is going to be telling him all he needs to know, and how can he be sure that it is in fact all he needs to know? If others are telling him everything he needs to know, why aren't they doing the job? Rhetorical question, of course.

It may well be that William is having/has had/will have private tutoring from appropriately qualified scholars, but, if that is the case, I would like to know about it.

We don't really know much about William at this stage, and hopefully it will be a long time before he is king, so he has plenty of time to acquire the knowledge that I would like him to have. One thing tertiary education does is teach you how to learn, so he already has that skill.

It's not going to be scholars who give him extra information, it'll be advisers. Private Secretarys and the like who are employed to tell William what he needs to know.
For instance when he's going to a benefit for a specific charity, beforehand he will presumably be briefed on what the charity is for, it's history and why William himself is going. If he's got enough time he might event do some personal research of his own.
He'll be told what he needs to know to look like a good King in my mind, i don't think William is going to be the one to change the system; not yet anyway.
 
I find the idea that he will be told everything he needs to know a little unsettling. Who is going to be telling him all he needs to know, and how can he be sure that it is in fact all he needs to know? If others are telling him everything he needs to know, why aren't they doing the job? Rhetorical question, of course.

The people telling him will be the people he employs to tell him and the government. After all he won't be allowed to have any views publicly that the government doesn't approve so the government will be involved in the telling. Remember the monarch is a figurehead who has no power and so he doesn't need to know all the ins and outs as that could lead to a conflict of interest where his ideas conflict with the government's - not allowed to happen.

His role as King is to sign legislation and sprout government approved statements - nothing more or less.

It may well be that William is having/has had/will have private tutoring from appropriately qualified scholars, but, if that is the case, I would like to know about it.

It was reported regularly during his school days that he was being given additional training in constitutiona affairs and how to be king and the role of the monarch by the best person to give him that information - his grandmother - every Sunday at 4.00 while he was at Eton and she was at Windsor (which is most weekends) they would meet for that training.

Now you know about it.

We don't really know much about William at this stage, and hopefully it will be a long time before he is king, so he has plenty of time to acquire the knowledge that I would like him to have. One thing tertiary education does is teach you how to learn, so he already has that skill.


He has the knowledge he needs - he can read and he can write his name. He doesn't need to be able to do anymore than that. He can wave and shake hands. He will be briefed on who he is meeting and what topics he can and cannot discuss with that person e.g. government A says you can say we support this idea but five years later new government B says you can say we no longer support this idea - he has no need to know anything else as he isn't allowed to publicly have views.
 
Sorry Charlotte1 but William did say he can speak French fluently, and it's not because you didnt read or hear this interview that you can doubt what I said. William is always underestimate himself so of course He said he was'nt successful at speaking SWAhili but if you check the board you can see the interview of the Hello journalist who engage himself in a conversation in swahili. Or you can email to Hello Magazine to check the information. But dont try to impose your point of vue as fact please. I speak spanish (so I'm french) and I never and couldnt pass this language in my studies. Things are not so simple. Prince Charles speaks French and did he study at university? (I recognise I have no the answer, but I believe it's was not the case). Learn french is a tradition in the family for historic reasons. I'm checking the web to find the interview and you can do the same to prove (but really prove) the contrary

Well you're also trying to push your point of view that William speaks French without any evidence that he does! At least I've provided the evidence that he didn't take French in his exams or at university. Charles studied French at school, he also spent time in France (on school trips) as did Andrew, although his French is questionable. Princess Anne doesn't make any claims to speak French either and she was taught it when she was younger.

The tradition to learn French among royals was observed when they were taught at home, they learn French not from their parents (who they saw little of) but from tutors and governesss especially employed to teach the children to speak the language. (Just like European royals all had English nurses and nannies so they would learn English at an early age)

The Queen Mother learnt French from her French governess and German from her German governess, not from the time she spent at school. The current queen never attended school, she learnt French from her governess. Philip lived in Paris when he was young and went to school there and that's how he learnt French. The education system taught languages to their children and since languages are not given a high priority in th UK anymore, their grandchildren had ended up basically mono-lingual. With English being their only language.
 
He has the knowledge he needs - he can read and he can write his name. He doesn't need to be able to do anymore than that. He can wave and shake hands. He will be briefed on who he is meeting and what topics he can and cannot discuss with that person e.g. government A says you can say we support this idea but five years later new government B says you can say we no longer support this idea - he has no need to know anything else as he isn't allowed to publicly have views.

I do actually get this, but described this way it sounds a bit as though the monarch is not much more than the pampered pet of the government of the day. I think it's a bit sad, actually.

The Monarch is merely a symbol of the unbroken continuity of the state, and their only qualification is accident of birth. If the role of head of state really is merely symbolic and ceremonial, I think that the office is more appropriately held by someone who has had a long and distinguished career doing something constructive other than merely opening fetes and making small talk. Our Governors and Governors-General have opinions and have expressed them in the past and they can be known to anyone who cares to do the research, and I'm sure the same is true of, for example, Presidents of the United States. Why is it that members of the British Royal Family cannot have opinions and express them before they become monarch? Charles has done things with the intention of benefiting his country and future generations, and he has been criticised heavily for it. HM didn't have a chance to let us know what she thought before becoming Queen.

I suppose I'm just questioning the relevance of the whole system of monarchy as it affects me as an Australian. Why on earth should we bow to these people? William hasn't done anything to make me think he should ever be my Head of State. The fact he can read and write his own name and wave and shake hands and makes all the right noises and doesn't offend anyone just doesn't impress me.
 
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