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

[Osipi]

Too late. I ate it.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

I wondered about the Roya Nikkhah article's criticism against 'soul-baring.' I question how much of what is said and the way it is framed in the newspapers is true, and whether it is all coming directly from the Queen, the media or the royal courtiers?

I think that Harry, William and Kate speaking out to share a little about their personal struggles with emotional difficulties has been very inspiring and helpful to a lot of people. None of the trio have been overly detailed or maudlin in any way. What they have talked about of a personal nature has been in service to demonstrating to others the importance of opening up to friends, loved ones, and/or professional counselors. They want to reassure people that there is light at the end of the tunnel when you feel lost and alone with your struggles.

Whoever doesn't like the young royals speaking out may be upset by the references to William/Harry's grief over the loss of their mother, Diana. Well, I say that the critics need to get over it. William and Harry will always honor the positive memory of their mother and seek to further her legacy of compassion for others. At the same time, Diana's sons are Windsors who have respect for the Queen, their grandmother, and for the history and traditions of the monarchy. It is a good thing for these young men with the help of their life partners to work toward moving the monarchy forward into the 21st century. I am quite sure that William and Harry will both continue to safeguard their personal privacy and to conduct their public duties with decorum and discretion. But they are not made of stone, and that 'stiff upper lip' nonsense needs to be relaxed and redefined, or re-characterized.

Perhaps the below delightful video of William, Kate, and Harry having a conversation with each other about the impetus for Heads Together rankled in some royal quarters. Again, whoever is disgruntled really needs to get over it. The three are young yet and still learning as they move forward in a purposeful way to discover how, where and in what way their energies and royal commitments can best be put to the most beneficial and productive uses. I applaud William, Kate, and Harry for their candor, inspiration, and genuine caring for the concerns of needy people, and for the mental health of families in Great Britain and around the world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45RqUmxDXiY

 

[Dman]

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The BBC's King Charles III contained plenty of howlers | Daily Mail Online

I think it would be beautiful and very fitting if Catherine took on the role of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards from Prince Philip. I'm sure she'll be happy and hugely honored.

 

[Countessmeout]

I'd be surprised and not in a good way. Harry has yet to be made a royal colonel. It makes more sense for the next one to open up, for Harry to be given. I think it fitting he take over for his grandfather.

I do think Kate will take on some of his patronages. And start getting some honors. Rightfully so.

 

[Dman]

I'd be surprised and not in a good way. Harry has yet to be made a royal colonel. It makes more sense for the next one to open up, for Harry to be given. I think it fitting he take over for his grandfather.

I do think Kate will take on some of his patronages. And start getting some honors. Rightfully so.

There are plenty of colonel appointments to go around once Philip decide to hand some down. I think it would good for Catherine to be the second woman to get the Grenadier Guards role. I'm still waiting for her to get the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment appointment.

 

[Countessmeout]

Since Camilla is princess of Wales, it seems proper for her to have it.

It seems likely to avoid the Camilla issue, they will leave the British colonel open until Kate is princess of Wales. They have a colonel in chief in form of margrethe. No need to currently fill it. Better to wait until Camilla is queen consort, so to avoid the question of why Kate and not Camilla. Contrary to her title she uses, Camilla is princess of Wales.

Yes, Philip has three colonel positions. But unless he steps down from more than one st the same time, I stand by my position Harry is most likely to get first. Philip is said to be keeping his roles even after retiring, so he won't do a mass dump. Maybe when Harry gets married, like his brother with the Irish.

 

[muriel]

There are plenty of colonel appointments to go around once Philip decide to hand some down. I think it would good for Catherine to be the second woman to get the Grenadier Guards role. I'm still waiting for her to get the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment appointment.

I think you may have to wait till she is the Princess of Wales herself!

There are plenty of colonel appointments to go around once Philip decide to hand some down. I think it would good for Catherine to be the second woman to get the Grenadier Guards role. I'm still waiting for her to get the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment appointment.

Another military appointment or an RFO?

 

[Dman]

I think you may have to wait till she is the Princess of Wales herself!

I'm not sure she have to wait until she gets the title, but it's one of the regiments I think she should be appointed Royal Colonel. She can share the role with the Queen of Denmark, like Diana did. Also, the regiment was named after her mother-in-law, the late princess. It's got nothing to do with Camilla.

I'm just looking forward to Catherine receiving her own regimental associations.

Another military appointment or an RFO?

Both!

 

[muriel]

I'm not sure she have to wait until she gets the title, but it's one of the regiments I think she should be appointed Royal Colonel. She can share the role with the Queen of Denmark, like Diana did. Also, the regiment was named after her mother-in-law, the late princess. It's got nothing to do with Camilla.

I'm just looking forward to Catherine receiving her own regimental associations.




Both!

If the PoW regiment is to have a new royal Parton, it would be very odd that it not be the Princess of Wales herself.

The Camilla/ Diana issues are best avoided in the situation that QM 2 out lives QE2, and the issue is next raised in the reign of King Charles.

 

[Dman]

It's ridiculous to wait until that time to give the Regiment a British royal colonel. It's very fitting for Catherine to get it. Besides Camilla already have her own regiments and I don't think she care nor want to be associated with a Regiment that was named after Diana.

 

[muriel]

It's ridiculous to wait until that time to give the Regiment a British royal colonel. It's very fitting for Catherine to get it. Besides Camilla already have her own regiments and I don't think she care nor want to be associated with a Regiment that was named after Diana.

Why Catherine? She is not the PoW, Camilla is.

 

[Ish]

Dman... is it really necessary to rehash this every couple of months?

Yes, Kate should become a royal colonel at some point, and as she's stepping up it seems likely that that will be soon.

But she's not the Princess of Wales. Giving her the Princess of Wales regiment is premature. What's more is the regiment has been without a British royal colonel for 20 years now. They're not hurting from the lack of a British royal colonel.

 

[loonytick]

I wondered about the Roya Nikkhah article's criticism against 'soul-baring.' I question how much of what is said and the way it is framed in the newspapers is true, and whether it is all coming directly from the Queen, the media or the royal courtiers?

Generally speaking, I doubt the people at court who really know the heart of what's going on are the ones who leak to the press. I'm basing that assumption on the pattern that's seemed to play out over the years -- those who really are close to the top tend to get canned or reassigned after talking frankly to reporters. So my gut tells me that the reports we hear from within royal circles are mostly coming from people on the middle level of The Firm's operation, the folks who do the grunt work of fielding requests for someone to unveil a plaque or cut a ribbon, etc., not the ones who actually hear the Queen or Prince Charles speak directly to their plans for the future.

It seems quite logical to me that the Queen might have been choosing to allow her grandsons to have a lighter and more focused schedule as long as she and Philip still handled their usual load. Letting the younger crew have a fairly open schedule and slate of patronages, etc. means they've got the flexibility to quickly step in to take over assignments whenever needed, without needing to declare early associations as being "lesser" and shuffle them out of the way. I suspect mid-level courtiers have been frustrated for years to be told, "no, leave Will, Harry and Kate out of ____" while it's actually been in line with a greater plan that is above those courtiers' pay grade. Which would leave those courtiers with a bad taste in their mouth about the more specialized work the three have been doing instead. And thus we get all kinds of groaning from within the court (such as this nonsense about "soul-baring..." that is exactly the kind of detail her Majesty would never let be shared with the public, whether she thought that way or not).

Will, Harry and Kate are now in an excellent position to take on a load of the work that Philip is setting aside, precisely because they have been pacing themselves until now. Of course, only time will tell if they actually do that, but my instinct is that they've been preparing for exactly that for a while now.

 

[Dman]

Dman... is it really necessary to rehash this every couple of months?

Yes, Kate should become a royal colonel at some point, and as she's stepping up it seems likely that that will be soon.

But she's not the Princess of Wales. Giving her the Princess of Wales regiment is premature. What's more is the regiment has been without a British royal colonel for 20 years now. They're not hurting from the lack of a British royal colonel.

You're right! I'm not going to bring up The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment anymore, because it's so simple, but too much tension about it. I'll just be happy with any appointments that's due to come.

 

[Osipi]

What is really nice is that W&K&H had been given the time as part time working royals to not only start the Cambridge family but to also set up and nurse their own Royal Foundation and define what it does, who it focuses on and gradually, as the royals themselves found issues and causes to champion, build up a good support system to actually run the Foundation.

Now, as they gear up to work more and more for the "Firm" full time, the Foundation is established and running smoothly enough that with more of their attention focused on doing other royal duties, the Foundation still will be able to run like a well oiled machine. It also gave the three younger royals good experience as working together as a team and confidence in working individually as part of a team on the worle stage.

Now we're going to be seeing them even more as part of "Team Windsor" and I think they're ready for it. HM, The Queen most likely is very proud of her family around her and the ability of them all to work together as a team for the good of the monarchy. That's what its really all about.

 

[royal-blue]

Any news on when William is actually leaving his pilot job?

Are we actually going to see an increase in his royal duties this year? He and his brother seem increasingly uncommitted to full time royal duties, in contrast to his York cousins who seem to want greater royal roles, particularly Beatrice.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Any news on when William is actually leaving his pilot job?

Are we actually going to see an increase in his royal duties this year? He and his brother seem increasingly uncommitted to full time royal duties, in contrast to his York cousins who seem to want greater royal roles, particularly Beatrice.

Sometime this summer, probably to correspond with Philip's retirement from public duties. The Cambridges will be moving to London in time for George to start school so he'll be done with the air ambulance job by then.
William does more than you might think, he just gets very little publicity when he is not accompanied by his wife.

 

[cepe]

Any news on when William is actually leaving his pilot job?

Are we actually going to see an increase in his royal duties this year? He and his brother seem increasingly uncommitted to full time royal duties, in contrast to his York cousins who seem to want greater royal roles, particularly Beatrice.

Royal duties are a commitment to public service

William royal engagements c 66 plus job as Air Ambulance pilot
Harry royal engagements c 72 plus .........

William seems v committed to public service to me.

 

[Dman]

Any news on when William is actually leaving his pilot job?

Are we actually going to see an increase in his royal duties this year? He and his brother seem increasingly uncommitted to full time royal duties, in contrast to his York cousins who seem to want greater royal roles, particularly Beatrice.

Towards the end of the summer. I don't think we have the exact date.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

I'm so tired of people (both on this forum and in the media) who says that William is not commitment to a life of full time royal duties.

1. As cepe wrote, he has had c 66 engagements plus the job as Air Ambulance pilot.

2. And more importantly: As he himself has said, he does all the things HM wants him to do.

 

[TLLK]

Royal duties are a commitment to public service

William royal engagements c 66 plus job as Air Ambulance pilot
Harry royal engagements c 72 plus .........

William seems v committed to public service to me.

Thank you cepe for the update from IluvBertie's latest engagement tally. We also have the Cambridges' upcoming tour of Germany and Poland on behalf of the government and Invictus Games for Harry.

 

[Osipi]

I don't know about anyone else but to me, the younger royals seem to be always busy doing something and always on the go and have very full lives. Lazy and unwilling would be the last adjectives I'd ever use to describe them.

Again, I'm not one to think that everything they think, do or say is reported in the media either. What we actually "see" them doing is a small part of their everyday lives.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

I found this Vanity Fair article about Kate mostly to be quite fascinating. It was written a year after their marriage, so it's fun looking back to see what has come to pass since then which the article speculated about:
http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2012/09/kate-middletons-married-life-house-facials

Also, a number of interesting facts about Kate's adjustment to royal life, and the fact that though she is supposed to curtsey to Camilla and to Beatrice & Eugenie, in fact the article claims that Kate doesn't curtsey to Camilla in private because they get on well. And that Kate also does not curtsey to William's cousins, unless a special royal occasion requires that she do so.

I love the part about Kate using the Heaven Bee Venom Facial Mask (which is said to be a natural substitute for Botox treatments). And that it was recommended to Kate by Camilla. ?

In addition, this article indicates that Kate's parents were often visitors to Birkhall in Scotland (the country home of Camilla and Charles), an indication that the families were getting on well together. I wonder how often they all get together these days. Of course, busy schedules can be a factor in less frequent contact.

A lot of things have evolved since this article was written, especially the births of the Cambridges sweet children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

 

[cepe]

WIlliam is currently working his last (night) shift for EAAA.

He leaves on Thursday 27th.

Prince William Is Leaving His Job as Air Ambulance Pilot

 

[Skippyboo]

The stuff about bowing/curtsey is way overblown. The Queen and Philip are the only ones in the BRF that you bow/curtsey to. We have seen the Middletons with the Queen at Balmoral but not Charles and Camilla so I am not sure they hanging out on a regular basis.

 

[Dee Anna]

WIlliam is currently working his last (night) shift for EAAA.

He leaves on Thursday 27th.

Prince William Is Leaving His Job as Air Ambulance Pilot

Difficult as it must be for him to say goodbye to the job and colleagues he has worked with over the last two or so years it is so much more than that. He is saying goodbye to William the private employee with a private life, stepping out every so often into his public role.

I expect it will take some adjustment, but while on one side it's goodbye to his adult life to-date, on the other, he has had a good innings starting his full time role at 35 with a fully established family life to support him.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

From Peter Hunt:
Prince William ready to be full-time royal - BBC News

 

[Dman]

From Peter Hunt:
Prince William ready to be full-time royal - BBC News

What a journey, but William has finally arrived on fully embracing his destiny!

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

And after being criticised by the press and experts alike (including Sky News and Kay Burley) for not taking on full-time royal duties earlier, what does Sky News do? They invited Guardian columnist Dawn Foster to have a go at the monarchy, say she feels sorry for the royal family for not having private life etc, while Kay Burley ask why William is giving up his job as an ambulance pilot and about being royal is a proper job? Camilla Tominey was invited to defend him and she didn't do it very well.

 

[M. Payton]

In many ways it is a sad time for him as he is leaving a very private and precious time behind to embrace the duties that he was born to have. Just to be a working part of a team that helped save lives and know that everyone on that team is the same part as you will be very difficult for him. In viewing royals for many decades now, I see ribbon cutting isn't all it is made out to be nor are those long boring evenings/dinners when he could be following his heart in saving lives and can't. I wonder at times if given the choice he would on his own choice continue to serve in a different way the family then being the heir apparent and future king.

I wish him well and hope that he can hide and vanish from the media at times so that he can gather the strength to be a full time royal now.