It was inevitable that Roya Nikkhah at the Times of London would be tasked with writing an eye-rolly profile of Prince William for his 43rd birthday. This is an annual thing, Nikkhah getting a big briefing from William’s people about his promises to be keen and an update on his vision for his future role. He’s the whole-ass Prince of Wales and he’s still committed to not doing much until he’s king. And man, William is spending a lot of time lately thinking about what his kingship is going to look like. Dude is already planning for his coronation and how he’s going to change what’s expected of him as the apolitical head of state. Nikkhah’s piece this year is predictably overwrought and overwritten, but here are some highlights:
Thinking about his kingship: A friend tells me: “He’s definitely been thinking a lot about how things will evolve over time. When the moment comes, he’ll want to do it his way: genuinely, not just following a script. He’s not afraid to dig into the details, ask the tough questions, and figure out what actually works today. He wants to make sure the whole thing has even more impact and remains relevant.” William wants to explore the make-up of the institution and ensure that it’s “fit for purpose in the modern era”. The structure of the royal household at Buckingham Palace which is likely to remain as “monarchy HQ” though, like his father, he is not expected to live there, has barely changed since the Victorian era. His priority will be to “look under the hood” and see if the engine is running in a way that delivers “impact” — a William buzzword — and is value for money.
The sovereign grant: The future king is “mindful of how much the monarchy costs” and the size of the organisation, and will be “hands on” in restructuring a leaner machine. Like his mother before him, Charles has tended to leave the running of his household to his courtiers. Very early on in his reign, William plans to “take every stone and look underneath it” while assessing the “footprint of the institution”.
Affairs of state. William has previously said that his grandmother’s approach to being head of state was to take “more of a passive role”, but subsequently indicated that approach would change during his reign, when there will be “more private, robust challenging of advice”.
William’s plans for his hat party: While Charles trimmed an hour off Elizabeth’s three-hour coronation service for his own in May 2023, William will go further. The week after the coronation, he let it be known that his would “look and feel quite different”. A royal source said: “He is really thinking, ‘How do we make his coronation feel most relevant in the future?’ He is mindful of the fact that … whenever his time comes, how can the coronation be modern but also unifying to the nation and the Commonwealth?”
Look to medieval kings: The same source, who knows the Waleses well, believes that William will keep things much simpler and gives this advice: “Look at the coronations of medieval kings, they were staggeringly simple. Keep things that are pertinent to today, that reflect diversity and get back to the core of it.” They also think William should break with the tradition of wearing the Imperial State Crown, like his father and grandmother. “That ridiculous thing that looks like it’s out of Disney? No. What I most remember about that day were William and Catherine’s robes, Catherine’s beautiful, simple headpiece [by the milliner Jess Collett], and William wearing nothing on his head.” William has not yet made a decision on which crown he will wear at his coronation, but is understood to feel sentimental about the Imperial State Crown’s link to his father and his grandmother.
Sophie & Edward will have to work more: The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh… will play a much more prominent role. William and Kate are big fans of Edward, 61, and Sophie, 60, and are already raising their profile. The Waleses admire Edward’s quiet, dutiful approach to his role and Sophie’s diligent, determined work on causes such as sexual violence in conflict and supporting young people. William’s view, says a friend, is that the Edinburghs are “needed” and “it’s really important the fantastic work that they do is seen”.
The cousins will do unpaid labor for William: Also ones to watch will be William’s cousin, Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike, Zara’s brother Peter Phillips and the York sisters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Without his brother the Duke of Sussex as a wingman, they are likely to support William more in the future, though he has no plans to put them on the payroll.
William hates horse racing: William, who attended Royal Ascot one day last week, does not share his father’s or grandmother’s love of racing. A racing source who knows the royal family well and has spoken to William on the subject, says: “I never get the feeling the whole top hat and racing is really his thing, and he’s said as much. He’s never really seemed comfortable doing it.” A source close to William says “he understands how important Ascot is, not just to the racing community but to UK plc”, but concedes he will not be as hands on with Ascot and the royal stud at Sandringham, Norfolk, as the current and previous monarchs.
How William feels about Harry: Those closest to William have noticed a marked, recent shift. Where he once raged at his brother’s outbursts — after the publication of Spare, a friend told me though he was determined not to publicly respond even though “inside he’s burning” — the anger has subsided to indifference. A friend tells me: “What has struck me the most recently is that he just doesn’t mention it at all. It used to be that the family stuff was taking up a lot of space in his head, it was a very close relationship and he was very upset. But he’s not letting it get to him at all any more. It is a change. It’s sad, but it’s a much healthier space for him to be at.”
William barely does any military events: Some of William’s allies would like to see the next head of the armed forces do much more for the military. One says: “If the first duty of the government of the day is to protect the nation, that has to be reflected in the priorities of the head of state and the Prince of Wales. The wolf closest to the sled is national security, not climate change. It needs a massive amount more [of his attention]. In terms of current leadership, he’s one of the only ones who can do it. William and his father are revered by armed forces, they can really move the dial.”
William’s statesman priorities: Burnishing his credentials as a statesman on the global stage is also a priority…At Donald Trump’s request, William was the first UK representative to meet him following his re-election, after the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in December. In a “warm” meeting indicating Trump’s eagerness to align himself with the royal family, he described William as a “very handsome” and “good man” doing “a fantastic job”. The pair will meet again during Trump’s second state UK visit, expected in the autumn. As a source close to William quips: “Trump seems obsessed with him which is fantastic for the UK. He just has to smile at Trump and we get an extra cut in tariffs. Who does that remind you of? The late Queen, who had a nose for the strategic.”
Scotland hates William: Not long ago, a friend of the royal family with strong ties to Scotland, told me: “Scotland thinks William doesn’t really care. His grandmother got it, his father gets it, he needs to be in Scotland more. The independence issue has gone away for a bit but it won’t be forever.” There has been a recent uptick in William’s visits north of the border.
“The structure of the royal household at Buckingham Palace which is likely to remain as ‘monarchy HQ’ though, like his father, he is not expected to live there” – wait, what? If William becomes king in the next few years (which clearly he seems to believe), then where will he live? Is going to keep Kate at Adelaide Cottage? LMAO. And King William will settle into Frogmore Cottage and work from there, I assume! All of the stuff about William radically changing the structure of the palace offices AND his role as head of state… well, none of that will go down well with anyone in power. Downing Street will be furious, the senior courtiers will be furious, and the whole thing will end in tears. The stuff about Trump is so revealing – William has a childlike understanding of diplomacy and statesmanship, and he really doesn’t get that everyone knows he’s a dumbass and a lightweight. Speaking of, that part about William needing to spend more time on military concerns is also revealing. I can’t believe Roya slipped that in. Anyway, you get the idea, William is going to be a terrible king and he can’t stop bragging about all of the things he’s going to do when his father dies. Yiiikes.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
