Yeah, but how often do they do that? Queen Elizabeth once said "I have to be seen to be believed." William and Catherine are not seen. They aren't out there. And while that might make them great parents and a great couple, it doesn't necessarily make them great heirs or eventual sovereigns.
I beg to disagree. They are seen and are out there, just not in the way the other royals do and not in the way you want them to. They are seen in person, at train stations, at stadiums, at school games, at pubs, meeting well wishers on formal engagements etc, they are seen on TV at emotive sports events e.g. Wimbledon and Football games, at significant national events e.g. Holocaust remembrance day. Kate's annual carol service. Their videos are often broadcast on TV. Their projects are well-covered. If anything their public profile is higher than any other royal and it has nothing to do with fashion or young family. They are in their mid-forties.
I always go back to objective polls because they don't support some of the discussions that go on here though it's fine for people to air their opinions. Consistently, William and Catherine are the only two royals to have more than 50% favorability with all age categories. They are the only ones that have more than 50% favorability with ages 18 - 24. I don't believe the 65+ category like them because of Catherine's fashion. They have high favorability across all political leanings and income bracket. That consistency across demographics suggest something a bit more durable and resilient. People keep trying to find flippant reasons for why the Waleses are popular aside from the most obvious durable reason - Brits value their approach to their duties and don't agree with royal watchers or the royal rota that number of engagements matter that much. Has nothing to do with glamour or fashion or youth.
William and Catherine have survived Harry and Meghan's public attacks, the negative coverage of the Caribbean tour, the hulabaloo over his not going to Australia for the women's worldcup, the mother's day picture lunacy, the steady criticism of the royal rota over their engagement count etc. Yet, the polls stay stable. They remain the most liked royals. Catherine has not appeared at a glam event since late 2023. The polls remain stable. This tells me actually that they are respected by the public and their polling is based on strong foundations. That's why all these attacks and perceived missteps don't register. Their political capital with the public is strong and robust.
It's okay for people to air their opinions but they remain opinions of one or a group of people except we see objective evidence e.g. polls or a study that demonstrate that particular opinion is widespread. It's one thing to say this is what I think but it's another to say as a matter of fact that William and Catherine are not seen which is a categorical statement not backed by objective evidence. Happy to be corrected.
Something else on their being seen: Lord Ashcroft did a focused group study for Daily Mail before the coronation where 67% said the Monarchy needed to modernise. Change is never comfortable for people used to a certain way of doing things and I think royal watching forums like these are more likely to be sceptical of new approaches to royal duties which is fine and reasonable, but evidence so far does not support some of the categorical statements being made. William needs to modernise the monarchy and make it relevant to his generation. He needs to take a timeless principle - I need to be seen to be believed - and adapt it in the way that speaks to modern Britain and his generation. While Charles, other royals may be seen at organised engagements, sometimes, with children waving flags or the royal being taken round a factory, it's not the only way to be seen. While W&C do those engagements as well, often linked to a key theme or project e.g Earthshot. They are also 'seen' by joining the masses at a football stadium to watch a match and going through the rollercoaster of emotions. For the category of people that would never go to a garden party or read about an engagement (the unreached), William is reaching them. They will have their stories/memories of sitting a few feet from the future King at a significant game. There are many minority kids that will have the memory of playing a game with the future King or Queen or taking a selfie with them. There are people that will remember meeting them at their children's games or participating in Earthshot junior programmes or through Kate's children's programme at the RHS. There are youths that are meeting him through the Earthshot youth programme etc. There are many men that don't pay attention to royals that his 5 minute appearance punditing on TNT did more to win over than 500 engagements. He will shortly be appearing in an episode of Clarkson's Farm. He is going to where the unreached are and inserting himself in the issues they care about, whether football or homelessness, appearing where he is not expected, and often where flag waving is not expected. He is not putting all his eggs in the basket of the old style of doing engagements where he is the center of attention and the royal reporters curate how his engagements are presented, keep count and inform the public. He is charting his direct path to the public and experimenting with a different way of 'being seen to be believed' whether in person or using old and new media. It may or may not work in the long term but he is responding to the monarchy needing to evolve and modernise to survive and all objective evidence point to the fact it is working so far. In fact, that ability to take a risk, retain the timeless principles but seek to make it relevant to his generation speaks more to his suitability to be King than a risk averse approach of sticking to the old ways whether relevant or not to a changing Britain.
I don’t say that what you mentioned is wrong but for instance if you asked a young British under 30 who is not a royal watcher about their opinion of the William or Catherine would they be able to point out a cause that they can link to both of them?
Most young people will be able to tell you William or Catherine's causes more than they can tell you any causes of Anne or Sophie or Edward.
Most Brits (and non-Brits) know about Heads Together, SHOUT, Earthshot, Homewards, Hold Still, Early Years. They are synonymous with championing mental health for different categories, men, mothers, children and changing the conversation around these. Again, objective polling consistently ranks them only after the late Queen when the public are asked which royals have made the most impact on the nation. Occam's razor suggests the obvious reason is that the few issues they focus on and their approach is seen by the public as making an impact. With short attention spans, it's harder for people to remember any one of 400 engagements but consistent messaging around a few issues with 80 engagements, targeted at maximum exposure points, is more likely to be remembered. Quality/impact over quantity applies here.
There is also the emotive and representative element. A lot of people will value the Southport visit more than 15 engagements on random things because it's something they feel strongly about but can't do much about and there is something about the royals doing it on behalf of the public and giving comfort where politicians can't.