Prince William's Suitability to be King

[tihkon2]

I like William, so I say this as someone who thinks he's great. He's 42 years old, and a lot of the comments in here make it seem like we're discussing some 21 year old just fresh out of school. It's quite amusing.

 

[Rael]

A Times piece, exploring the type of King William is likely to be, that speaks to some of the discussion we've had on this thread.

What will change when William is king? By royal insiders

At 42, and after ‘the hardest year of my life’, Prince William is reinventing what it means to be the future king, say former prime ministers and aides

www.thetimes.com

What will change when William is king? By royal insiders

archived 24 Apr 2025 23:01:16 UTC

archive.ph

Good to read the whole piece but here are some excerpts:

“It’s this reinvention,” says Jason Knauf, a former aide who is now CEO of the Earthshot prize. “How do you communicate to the generation that you serve? And it has to be different. It’s not change for change’s sake, but a question of how you’re going to cut through in a world where people are consuming things much more in terms of images than anything else.”

He is known to fire off dozens of weekend WhatsApps to staff and was described to me by a senior figure on one of his projects as “a stringent boss”. He won’t be pushed into anything he doesn’t want to do and is laser-focused about what he wants to achieve. But he was described by many I spoke to as “thoughtful” and “collaborative”. They will tell you that his sometimes tough approach is born of a zeal to get results....

The Earthshot scheme is just one example of a shift in the way William sees his royal role, which sources say is one of “projects not patronages”. In other words, a move away from ribbon-cutting representation — perfect in a world of traditional media — to a role that can be seen to deliver practical benefits...

...Kate has always seen her role as a supporting one. She is understood to have been inspired by the late Duke of Edinburgh, who made an individual contribution while being very clear that his role was to support the monarch. For Kate, that means acting as a gatekeeper to ensure that William can do his work while also finding time to be a hands-on father, and that everyone understands that this is the deal. It’s “the long game”. She is said to be allergic to any PR gimmicks — and there have been several — that have been suggested to her over the years...

“Three words come to mind when I think of William,” says a source who has known them both for many years. “Normal, private, control. These are the things he wants: as normal a life as possible; private time for his family; and control over how he organises his life and work. Kate is just as strong on control and privacy as him. In that glare of publicity and scrutiny they are very tight, very close, very strong, and cancer has made them closer and stronger, which is very common in families facing these challenges. She’s hugely influential behind the scenes in hiring and decision-making and they approach it as a team...

This common touch, says Hague, combined with the prince’s “overpowering sense of duty and commitment” will have “a major bearing on his future as king one day”...

A source says, “William has played a very smart hand. He has chosen it. He has shaped it as he wanted to. He was thinking about this early because he didn’t want to drift and then find that he hadn’t had a say in it. It’s one of the defining qualities of the man.”

William has said that he wants to carry out his role “with a smaller ‘r’ in the royal”, a clear signpost to the way he and Kate will use subtle but significant means to modernise the institution. But traditionalists should fear not, says Knauf. “They’re pretty conservative about this stuff,” he says. “Compared with some of the advice that they’ve been given [and dismissed] over the years, it’s still pretty royal.”

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

This is a great article - thanks so much for sharing the archived version!
The big change that I see after reading this is that William and Kate are and will be focused more on causes - such as mental health, homelessness, climate change, and the early years of children - as opposed to ribbon cutting and showing up everywhere to “open” places . That worked for HLM but the world has changed. If William hopes to be relevant to people his age and younger, I personally think he’s headed in the right direction.

 

[moby]

That's a great read, thanks for sharing. If the profile is anything to come by, then the UK is truly lucky to have William as future King. Contrary to being trapped in his role, it seems he has found purpose and for that, more than most other privileges he has, he's worthy of envy!

 

[Curryong]

The late Queen once said ‘I have to be seen to be believed’.

I don’t believe that the British population will be happy paying out many millions out of their taxes (and the bottom line is that is where the Duchy of Lancaster’s money comes from as well as for the Sovereign Grant which helps maintain Palaces etc) with a monarch and consort who only concentrate on say a half a dozen causes/charities a year, worthy though these might be.

We will see in the fullness of time of course, but there has been resentment for many years among the public at the annual sums the Royal Family cost the tax payer.

That is not likely to improve in the next decades, however many beautifully presented online videos etc about homelessness or early childhood there are from BP offices, if all the British public see in real terms are about fifty appearances a year from sovereign and consort.

And remember, in say twenty years, people like the Kents, Gloucesters and the Princess Royal, who now take up the slack, will no longer be with us. And if Charlotte and Louis are in private life and George remains unmarried into his 30s, the situation will be more prominent in the public view.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

He is known to fire off dozens of weekend WhatsApps to staff and was described to me by a senior figure on one of his projects as “a stringent boss”. He won’t be pushed into anything he doesn’t want to do and is laser-focused about what he wants to achieve. But he was described by many I spoke to as “thoughtful” and “collaborative”. They will tell you that his sometimes tough approach is born of a zeal to get results....
…

A source says, “William has played a very smart hand. He has chosen it. He has shaped it as he wanted to. He was thinking about this early because he didn’t want to drift and then find that he hadn’t had a say in it. It’s one of the defining qualities of the man.”

These two quotes alone illustrate that, at least many of his staff, do see HRH The Prince of Wales as a good king in the making. Whereas anyone else would have been bossy, unreasonable, and not respecting tradition or listening to those who know better, he’s seen as a man with high standards for himself and those who work for him and someone who is shaping the monarchy to fit both his ideas for it and the modern world he will rule in.

 

[Curryong]

Yes, and not a word of criticism about his characteristics from Hague or anyone else (apart from the unnamed source about his being a stringent boss.) I’ve read many Press pieces about the royals over sixty odd years, and the vast majority of courtiers, etc almost always give high praise.

What a surprise!

 

[Hallo girl]

Yes, and not a word of criticism about his characteristics from Hague or anyone else (apart from the unnamed source about his being a stringent boss.) I’ve read many Press pieces about the royals over sixty odd years, and the vast majority of courtiers, etc almost always give high praise.

What a surprise!

Surely that is their opinion which they are entitled to hold. Are you inferring they are being economical with the truth?

 

[Curryong]

I’ve read too many articles about too many royals over 62 years only to have some serious character flaws presented later by respected biographers not to be, shall we say, cynical about what the Press presents as the truth when said royals are new to the job.

 

[Rael]

Yes, and not a word of criticism about his characteristics from Hague or anyone else (apart from the unnamed source about his being a stringent boss.) I’ve read many Press pieces about the royals over sixty odd years, and the vast majority of courtiers, etc almost always give high praise.

What a surprise!

Actually I don't see 'stringent' as a criticism, rather factual and corresponding with what I've observed about William's approach to his work.

Synonyms - exact, tough, rigorous, strict, stubborn, 'undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements'.

As HenRach obeserved above - a man with high standards for himself and those who work for him. People around him automatically know he has zero tolerance for slackers, those that cut corners, PR shenanigans, shady business or performative activity without productivity or value.

You can see the impact on his projects and charities, zero scandals or rumours of dodgy operations. His staff know they need to play it straight by the book and show results. His projects - Earthshot, Homewards, United for Wildlife - are impeccably organised, transparent, conducted at armslength and with clear benefits not massaged by PR. His charities are well-run, transparent and not a whiff of dodgy practices or governance failings.

His intentions are clear - he is a public leader that will face criticism all his life but he intends that none of that criticism should be as a result of intentional error in judgement, mismanagement, or dodgy operations on his part or on the part of his staff. As one of the former staff referred in the article - if something goes wong, you'd better be telling William immediately and his expectation is that it will be put to rights immediately and he will be there to support the staff to do it but you would not have the option of shoving it under the carpet, fudging it or getting to it when you choose. We saw the precise and decisive way he dealt with the bullying scandal once it came to his attention. This is discipline and principles and the Monarchy sorely needs it.

 

[Curryong]

You could say that about the staff of most royals, and William didn’t pick most of his from the beginning. Many were seconded to him by his father and/or BP.

We will see in future years how William handles himself as monarch when there will, inevitably in today’s world, be more criticism of him and/or his endeavours. I don’t believe that any human being, whether courtier, charity royal or staff member is absolute perfection in any way. And I remain a cynic about these sort of articles I’m afraid.

 

[Hallo girl]

You could say that about the staff of most royals, and William didn’t pick most of his from the beginning. Many were seconded to him by his father and/or BP.

We will see in future years how William handles himself as monarch when there will, inevitably in today’s world, be more criticism of him and/or his endeavours. And I remain a cynic about these sort of articles I’m afraid.

Never mind, maybe your cynicism will be proved wrong in years to come, who knows what is ahead. He might surprise you with his efforts. Different doesn’t always mean wrong.

 

[Curryong]

Well, I hope I am proved wrong. But my mind won’t be changed by articles like that one.

And who knows, I just may be proved correct, especially about engagement numbers and the British public’s reaction to that when William is King and Kate is consort.

 

[Hallo girl]

Well, I hope I am proved wrong. But my mind won’t be changed by articles like that one.

And who knows, I just may be proved correct, especially about engagement numbers and the British public’s reaction to that when William is King and Kate is consort.

Well let’s hope we are all still around to see it and put our two penny worth in.
It will be interesting to see what does happen, how they move with the times while balancing the element of history and tradition.

 

[Rael]

Well, I hope I am proved wrong. But my mind won’t be changed by articles like that one.

And who knows, I just may be proved correct, especially about engagement numbers and the British public’s reaction to that when William is King and Kate is consort.

That's fair enough. I don't think articles like that or discussions such as on this thread are intended to change your mind (or indeed anyone's) about William. There will always be a diversity of opinion about him as with most other public leaders, informed by people's preferences, cultures, values and inclinations. The article just draws on the opinions of people that know him to explore what sort of monarch he is likely to be. It will appeal to some people and not to others. All perfectly fine.

Going by the British public's current reaction to them, one can almost surmise that they value lack of scandals, stable and down-to-earth royal family, sense of duty, quality of engagement and perceived impact than engagement numbers. We'll see if that continues or changes when he becomes the monarch. For now, all indications point to the majority being happy with his approach.

 

[Somebody]

The article confirms what has been known for quite some time now. The next generation does things differently - and there is a clear strategy behind it.

I am sure they will continue to attend public engagements as well but the large majority of the population wouldn’t meet them at such occasion any way. So, whether they see them in pictures taken by the press at an event or in a video produced highlighting a similar topic doesn’t matter imho. If anything, the latter is more likely to reach a wider audience with a stronger focus on the particular topic.

 

[shady lady]

Yes, and not a word of criticism about his characteristics from Hague or anyone else (apart from the unnamed source about his being a stringent boss.) I’ve read many Press pieces about the royals over sixty odd years, and the vast majority of courtiers, etc almost always give high praise.

What a surprise!

Ah, but I think William is a genuinely good bloke, so perhaps they are just being honest about this. Perhaps there aren't that many negative qualities about him to talk about?

Of course he has flaws - everyone does! He's a human being just like the rest of us! But William's gift is that he understands what he needs to do and he knows how to conduct himself in public - we don't see any temper tantrums or throwing of the toys out of the pram, or whining about this that or the other to anyone who will listen (IMO he's unlikely to be like that in private either). He understands he was born into great privilege and wealth, and has a duty to this country and its people. He understands that he is there to serve and represent us. He listens to people.

With his Queen and their children at his side, I believe he will be a fabulous King, as does my cat

 

[Hallo girl]

Ah, but I think William is a genuinely good bloke, so perhaps they are just being honest about this. Perhaps there aren't that many negative qualities about him to talk about?

Of course he has flaws - everyone does! He's a human being just like the rest of us! But William's gift is that he understands what he needs to do and he knows how to conduct himself in public - we don't see any temper tantrums or throwing of the toys out of the pram, or whining about this that or the other to anyone who will listen (IMO he's unlikely to be like that in private either). He understands he was born into great privilege and wealth, and has a duty to this country and its people. He understands that he is there to serve and represent us. He listens to people.

With his Queen and their children at his side, I believe he will be a fabulous King, as does my cat

I think they will make a very powerful couple when the time comes, with Catherine at his side, who understands her role as the support not the main event, as does Camilla. Following these examples plus his own personal input, I am sure he will do well.

 

[Hallo girl]

Deleted, wrong thread

 

[shady lady]

I think they will make a very powerful couple when the time comes, with Catherine at his side, who understands her role as the support not the main event, as does Camilla. Following these examples plus his own personal input, I am sure he will do well.

Absolutely. Catherine doesn't want to be the centre of attention, she only wants to support William. She will make an excellent consort.