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

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Royal Insight is not full of trolls, there are some posters there who are very informative and are always positive and open minded. It is full of Will and Kate haters and I do mean haters, people who will dislike him no mater what he does.
I still don't mind his decision, but I hope this finally puts a muzzle on those who insist Charles should abdicate so William can become king. Clearly Charles has spent his whole life preparing for it while William has spent his whole life trying to live despite his royal status. I think both will be fine kings, it really doesn't take much, but Charles is clearly the better choice as of 2014, I sometimes wonder if he is already unofficial King when no one is looking.

 

[Rudolph]

I realise this is a blog but Jane's opinion is she thinks the Firm doesn't want W&K having all the spotlight and sucking all the oxygen out of the BRF so its a win win for everyone. William can pursue a job he loves and refocuses the attention back on Charles and Camilla

From Berkshire to Buckingham

For the royal family, this is also no doubt a tactical move and one that has to be made.
Charles and Camilla cannot always and increasingly be overshadowed by William and Kate, which in the press and in public interest is almost universally the case.
While the Cambridges are certainly senior royals and are significant assets to the Royals as a brand, they can't fly too high too quickly, or it throws the balance off.
In short, Kate and William are the cool kids and none of the wallflowers get a chance to blossom if they are always present.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall need to have priority, and even Harry, whom the Palace is obviously trying to promote as a more and more serious senior royal, needs to have some space to highlight his work with charities.
Thankfully, in this instance, the needs of the Palace and the needs of the Cambridges beautifully complement one another and I cannot imagine a more felicitous solution for all parties.

 

[Osipi]

If that is true, and I'm not saying I don't believe you, the it would appear the family is not that big, unless all those kids get money from the Queen.
And let's say all their parents are out of the picture by the time Charles is King, isn't he going to need the help of the kids because Camilla William Charles Kate and Harry can't do it all? The full time royals are getting older aren't they? With the exception of the Wessex couple.

One thing I can almost guarantee is that we will never see either Peter or Zara doing royal duties. They are not even considered royal and they have no titles. As was stated, they just happen to have the Queen for a grandmother. If there is any kind of money that came to them, I would imagine it was from the Queen Mother as they would be as much of a great grandchild as any of the other great grandchildren are. I don't believe they receive any kind of funding from the Queen and they both work in the private sector.

So far Beatrice and Eugenie are not working for the Firm at all. They do have their own personal charities and patronages and I would suppose that if asked, they would step up for the BRF. How Louise and James will go is still quite a bit in the future but we see, even with them, that they are not titled as royalty by the request of their parents.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Royal Insight is not full of trolls, there are some posters there who are very informative and are always positive and open minded. It is full of Will and Kate haters and I do mean haters, people who will dislike him no mater what he does.
I still don't mind his decision, but I hope this finally puts a muzzle on those who insist Charles should abdicate so William can become king. Clearly Charles has spent his whole life preparing for it while William has spent his whole life trying to live despite his royal status. I think both will be fine kings, it really doesn't take much, but Charles is clearly the better choice as of 2014, I sometimes wonder if he is already unofficial King when no one is looking.

No! Charles isn't the unofficial king, but I agree that both he and William will be fine Kings.

 

[Pranter]

Was a reason given as to why Edward/Sophie declined titles for their children?


LaRae

 

[HRHHermione]

Was a reason given as to why Edward/Sophie declined titles for their children?


LaRae

Their children do have titles, just not HRH titles.

No reason was given but it was widely assumed that it was to give them more privacy and freedom.


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[Iluvbertie]

I am another who has considered leaving this board - because it is impossible to criticise William and Kate. I feel that, in many ways it is the antithesis of Royal Dish - where there they are all critical and praise is shot down here it is the opposite.

As for the future of the royal family and its workers. The ages of the current royals who regularly carry out royal duties solo and are recorded in the CC are in order of oldest to youngest:

Philip - 93
The Queen - 88
The Duke of Kent - 79
Alexandra - 77 (78 in December)
Richard - 69 (70 this month)
Birgitte - 68
Camilla - 67
Charles - 65 (66 in November)
Anne - 63 (64 this coming Friday - 15th August)
Andrew - 54
Edward - 50
Sophie - 49
Kate - 32
William - 32
Harry - 29 (30 next month)

Add 10 years and it will be more like:

Richard - 79
Birgitte - 78
Camilla - 77
Charles - 75 (66 in November)
Anne - 73 (64 this coming Friday - 15th August)
Andrew - 64
Edward - 60
Sophie - 59
Kate - 42
William - 42
Harry - 39 (40 next month)

Add another 10 years

Andrew - 74
Edward - 70
Sophie - 69
Kate - 52
William - 52
Harry - 49 (30 next month)

With George probably still in full-time education.

Therefore 1 or 2 things have to happen: either the York princesses will be called into service or the British public will have to get used to way fewer engagements being undertaken by the royals.

 

[TLLK]

As a member of two of the above mentioned boards, I'm surprised to read that posters believe it is impossible to criticize royals here. IMHO this place has a very good balance of praise and criticism or "sugar/vinegar." It provides access to photos, tallies of engagements, articles, videos and the opinions of many people around the globe.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Not all royals - just William and Kate - in my experience.

 

[Dman]

I'm a huge supporter of William and Catherine (no surprise) and I think if William wants to take up a job in the Air Ambulance, then I think that's just fine. I wish him well in his job.

I just think he and Catherine must have a better balance in this full-time job and their official duties. I think it's very important and realistic to say that Catherine will most likely be seen more since William will be busy for the most part. We know that she do a great deal behind the scenes and keep in touch with her charities but she will have to be seen supporting them more often. I also think it will do her some good in her training as the future Princess of Wales and Queen to get more involved in the inner workings of the family. The Queen sending her to Malta in a solo visit is a good start. She's mot just and loving and hands on wife and mother, she's a senior member of the British royal family and she must be seen doing her job.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Other royals ie then PoO W-A have performed similar services for medical teams Doctors Without Borders. They have the specialized training and can offer their services. IMO it's a good way for him to give to the nation even if it doesn't include cutting ribbons. Of course cutting ribbons can be a dangerous and relevant task too.

As for marital separation, many service members are apart for days, weeks, months at a time and manage to stay together. HM and the DoE survived their times apart during his naval career.

The Prince of Orange did his work for AMREF Flying Doctors as a volunteer job in his free time outside his royal activities. Back then his father wanted his son to do something in Africa, to understand how life is there. As a student he became involved with AMREF Flying Doctors and since then has every year done volunteer work, often totally in anonimity. An advance was also that in this way the Prince made enough practice and flying hours to maintain his major flying licence (he can fly the biggest planes). When the Prince became King, he laid down all his protecorates and charities, including AMREF.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Their children do have titles, just not HRH titles.

No reason was given but it was widely assumed that it was to give them more privacy and freedom.


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To be more precize: their children are HRH Prince James of Wessex, Viscount Severn and HRH Princess Louise of Wessex.

All this according a Letters Patent dated 30 November 1917:
"the children of any Sovereign of these Realms and the children of the sons of any such Sovereign and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honour".

The parents however chose not to use the prefix HRH and the title 'Prince (Princess)' for their children, in daily life. This does not take away that James and Louise are HRH and Prince resp. Princess. Just like Camilla is The Princess of Wales but decides to go by the titles Duchess of Cornwall resp. Duchess of Rothesay.

 

[Iluvbertie]

There has been a number of debates on this issue as it isn't as cut and dried as that.

The Queen's will has been made known and there is one argument that says that that is all that is needed for the children to not be HRHs at all.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Has anyone considered that William might be a very very good pilot. The military spent money training him to fly, I am glad he is putting his training to good use.

Before William, children of the monarch were not expected to hold "real" jobs. They spent time in the military, but majority of their lives was spent opening malls, hospital wings etc.
It appears that many want William to spend his days opening shopping centers and hospital wings, attending charity lunches, much like Prince Andrew spends his days.

I think that the future Duke of Cornwall (William) could make a start with a "real" job in the management of his future vast Duchy which he has to manage to generate income for his office as Prince of Wales and for his family, and of course to pass it in good and healthy order to the Duke of Cornwall after him, which will be George...

Now that is a major and substantial job and fitting seamlessly in his future royal role. Prince William can not be compared with all other royals in the royal family, since his father and then he (and then his son) will have the unique position to manage a centuries old Duchy with vast assets and estates.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

A critical view from the Daily Mail:

PLATELL'S PEOPLE: Time this reluctant royal heir grew up | Mail Online

 

[Elly C]

William's decision to take on a "normal" job has got us all pondering what we really want from our Royals. Ultimately I agree with the "damned if he does and damned if he doesn't" view, but as much as I respect what I believe is a desire to do something worthwhile on William's part, I don't want my future King to have a relatively narrow experience of the world. Up until now I feel William has been able to widen his experience through his university education, gap year, military service, introduction to charity work and of course fatherhood! A job in the air ambulance is not going to develop his skills as a future monarch - I don't feel it will bring him any wider breadth of experience than he has already gained in his RAF post. I find myself agreeing that William has been indulged and really it is time for him to do something that may not be his love, but his duty. I don't mean being a full time Royal, I mean taking a post which will bring him into a different world such as business/finance/overseas aid/land management/ education - in fact anything that widens his understanding of the country he will one day be head of.


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[Iluvbertie]

I think that the future Duke of Cornwall (William) could make a start with a "real" job in the management of his future vast Duchy which he has to manage to generate income for his office as Prince of Wales and for his family, and of course to pass it in good and healthy order to the Duke of Cornwall after him, which will be George...

Now that is a major and substantial job and fitting seamlessly in his future royal role. Prince William can not be compared with all other royals in the royal family, since his father and then he (and then his son) will have the unique position to manage a centuries old Duchy with vast assets and estates.

That is the reason why I think moving to Sandringham is a good idea.

Currently the Sandringham estate is managed by Philip but in time it will be the responsibility of Charles to pass onto William and then to George so while he is living at Anmer Hall he could easily take on a larger role in the management of one of his future properties - a baby step towards the management of the Duchies he will one day manage along with the private properties of Sandringham and Balmoral.

 

[Queen Camilla]

I do not think anyone in the BRF is worried that W&K will overshadow Charles and Camilla.

If they felt this way then Charles & Camilla would have attended the higher profile World War I commemorative services in Belgium.

IMO, William wants to continue flying and the Queen & Charles reluctantly agreed to allow William to take the job.

Of course, if he is in a fatal accident then it will be Charles & Camilla's fault because they were jealous of W&K as they did not want the Cambridges to become full time royal.

All the blame will be heaped upon Charles & Camilla. No one will blame the stubborn William who refused to listen.

Wonder if the BRF thought about how it would affect them if a passenger dies while William is flying the helicopter?

If William survives the crash would they want a king who was responsible for the death of another person?

If William dies will they want Charles or will they blame him for his son's death?

 

[Pranter]

First off we don't know that the Queen and the PoW reluctantly agreed to anything.....I don't see anything that would indicate this is the case. I haven't even seen press leaks that this is the case. The Queen's parents put themselves in great danger staying in London during the war, the Queen worked in the military...they could of been killed at any point. Seems like what William is doing would be right in line with the actions of his grandparents and great grandparents...taking risks with their lives for service to country.

If William dies (just like he could doing anything else...things happen) I don't see the jump to it's Camilla and Charles's fault.

You can't live you life based on 'what if'. I applaud William for trying to actually live a real life as much as he can before he's required to only attend to the duties of a PoW or King.


LaRae

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Prince William is a grown up man in his thirties, a father even. We can not held Prince Charles responsible for the choices his very own adult son makes.

 

[Osipi]

I do not think anyone in the BRF is worried that W&K will overshadow Charles and Camilla.

If they felt this way then Charles & Camilla would have attended the higher profile World War I commemorative services in Belgium.

IMO, William wants to continue flying and the Queen & Charles reluctantly agreed to allow William to take the job.

Of course, if he is in a fatal accident then it will be Charles & Camilla's fault because they were jealous of W&K as they did not want the Cambridges to become full time royal.

All the blame will be heaped upon Charles & Camilla. No one will blame the stubborn William who refused to listen.

Wonder if the BRF thought about how it would affect them if a passenger dies while William is flying the helicopter?

If William survives the crash would they want a king who was responsible for the death of another person?

If William dies will they want Charles or will they blame him for his son's death?

In the line of work that William will be doing, air lifting is usually called for in extreme emergencies and it is, for the most part, a life or death matter. It is to be expected that there's no guarantee that all the patients they rescue will survive. It won't be the first time for William either. I believe at least one of the people he rescued while in SAR didn't make it.

All the personnel on the crew realize that they are putting themselves at risk with each rescue they go on. Should something go amiss, I seriously doubt there will be blame pointed at anyone.

I personally commend William in choosing to do this line of work in service to the people.

 

[Skippyboo]

There is risk involved in almost everything. He already has experience dealing with the wind and sea from his SAR days. East Anglia doesn't have the mountains of Wales to worry about.

Oh remember went the Royal helicopter had make an emergency landing on a Charles and Camilla trip. So even if William just did royal duties, there is still a chance of an accident.


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[Queen Camilla]

I am thinking, if the helicopter crashes while William is flying it and the patient is killed because of the crash then the blame will fall on Charles.

If William dies or injured, it will be Saint William who was flying a medievac helicopter because his mother died because a medievac helicopter was not used to airlift her to a hospital.

It will be Saint William who is forced to take the job because his selfish father was jealous that his son who resembles the beloved Princess Diana was overshadowing him.

I can see the headlines. It will doom for Charles because of Diana's stubborn son.

 

[Pranter]

I think you need to stop thinking the worst and just see what happens.


LaRae

 

[Osipi]

I am thinking, if the helicopter crashes while William is flying it and the patient is killed because of the crash then the blame will fall on Charles.

If William dies or injured, it will be Saint William who was flying a medievac helicopter because his mother died because a medievac helicopter was not used to airlift her to a hospital.

It will be Saint William who is forced to take the job because his selfish father was jealous that his son who resembles the beloved Princess Diana was overshadowing him.

I can see the headlines. It will doom for Charles because of Diana's stubborn son.

Then again, everything could go right and they all live happily ever after with milk and cookies for all!

 

[Marty91charmed]

very sardonic! But I can understand! Somehow no matter what Willima does.... The blame is always on someone else!Especialli on Charles... :-(

 

[Dman]

Yes, William's job can be very dangerous and it's the kind of danger he was facing in the SAR. I think Catherine was relieved when he stepped down from his SAR job because of the worry she had, now that worry will come up again, as it does for many other wife's and family members. I just hope he gets through the training and the job safely.

Also, it's unfair to lay blame on Charles and Camilla. They fully support William's passions and his jobs. They're not jealous of the attention William and Catherine gets. Charles knows he and his family have major roles to play in the Monarchy and to keep it going. It's him that trained William in carrying out Investitures, it's Charles that had Catherine fill in for him at a charity dinner and it's Charles's family that now attend State events. Charles and Camilla are happy to share the burden of the Monarchy with the Cambridge's.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Ok I am getting annoyed with people on here talking like they personally know the members of the BRF. No one knows what Charles or the Queen thinks; so why continuously use statements like they support William and his choices. You don't know one way or another what goes on behind closed doors. Let's he some perspective and recognize that none of us know what these people think or feel.
I don't know which poster said it, but I agree that William could get more real life experience and prepare for his future role by taking a different job in a different sector. I admit I don't know how Charles' duchy works or makes money, but I fear it will go bankrupt under William, because he spent all his time learning art history, geography, and how to be a pilot and not enough time on how to manage an estate.

 

[cepe]

If that is true, and I'm not saying I don't believe you, the it would appear the family is not that big, unless all those kids get money from the Queen.
And let's say all their parents are out of the picture by the time Charles is King, isn't he going to need the help of the kids because Camilla William Charles Kate and Harry can't do it all? The full time royals are getting older aren't they? With the exception of the Wessex couple.

Yes it is true. none of these get money from the Queen. They donot carry out any royal duties.

your last point is right- there is no need to actively reduce the no of working royals. Of the 12 f/t royals, 4 are over 70; 5 over 60 and 3 in their 50s. Then there are 3 p/t

There will be fewer and there will be changes to how the BRF work.

 

[Dman]

Ok I am getting annoyed with people on here talking like they personally know the members of the BRF. No one knows what Charles or the Queen thinks; so why continuously use statements like they support William and his choices. You don't know one way or another what goes on behind closed doors. Let's he some perspective and recognize that none of us know what these people think or feel.
I don't know which poster said it, but I agree that William could get more real life experience and prepare for his future role by taking a different job in a different sector. I admit I don't know how Charles' duchy works or makes money, but I fear it will go bankrupt under William, because he spent all his time learning art history, geography, and how to be a pilot and not enough time on how to manage an estate.

William wouldn't be doing what he's doing without the love and support of his family.