Here’s an incomplete list of Prince William’s activities in the recent weeks: grimly worn a wrinkled robe to the Order of the Bath ceremony; played football at a youth center; escorted his wife (who couldn’t be bothered to memorize two sentences) to the naming of the HMS Glasgow; attended the FA Cup final; hosted a palace garden party. He’s not really burning the candle at both ends, although these events actually represent a “busy schedule” for the heir. Turns out, there was a reason why he “packed” his schedule – he allowed Sky News’ Rhiannon Mills to “shadow” him all of last week, and Mills wrote about it in a piece called “My week with Prince William, the quiet disruptor.” “Quiet” because he does f–k all. “Disruptor” because he plans to disrupt the “working royal” paradigm with his laziness. Some highlights from Mills’ piece:
The quiet disruptor in a wrinkled robe: The ornate robes of the Order of the Bath service, two weeks ago, felt like a world away from the more modern image he wants to portray. But as a man bestowed with so many traditional titles, it’s a new role he’s shaping for himself that is more intriguing – William, the quiet disruptor.
William doesn’t grab headlines: In a week when Time Magazine named the Prince and Princess of Wales in its top 100 philanthropists list for “modernising royal philanthropy”, I spent the week following the prince on various engagements. None of them particularly headline-grabbing, but all examples of how he’s setting out to do things differently, or underlining the challenges, and potential criticisms, he faces doing things his own way.
Giving voice to the voiceless princes: [His BBC YouTube series on rangers] is a project described as “the brainchild” of Prince William. But all of a sudden, there he was in the room, taking the mic to explain what it really means to him. Speaking about his drive to “give a voice to the voiceless”, it was indicative of what feels like a greater desire from him to articulate more publicly what he stands for.
Willy’s convening power: From conversations this week, with those who work closely with him, the word “convening” came up time and again; the prince doesn’t want to waste what he knows is a unique position, to bring people together, start conversations and support those who are already doing amazing things in their communities….This is now a man whose vision for the monarchy, I’m told, is increasingly driven by a desire to “shift the dial on global leadership” where others may be failing. With palace sources telling me he’d be more than happy to “be acknowledged” as a quiet disruptor, despite the criticism his new ways of working might bring.
Playing football in Leith: Wednesday, and William walked into a sweaty, but infectiously positive, community hall in Leith in Edinburgh. No ribbon cutting here, but this is the kind of visit the prince now sees as a big deal, “impact” the buzz word ahead of any engagement now.
Workshy Willy: Then there is family to consider, in a way that past generations just haven’t. Their working diaries are now arranged around their children. They’ve made no secret of that. On paper, it means fewer engagements compared to other members of the family, and it has led to mutterings of that word no one within the palace wants to hear: “workshy”.
Social impact is a buzzy phrase with no meaning: But talking to people in Glasgow, away from the royal visit, I overwhelmingly found most thought William was setting a good example by putting family first. What people were less clear on was his “social impact” work and what that is all about.
William can’t buy attention: The community projects may not necessarily grab as much attention as William and his advisors want, but what will be fascinating to watch is the potential long-term impact of this new kind of ethos.
Transition: As the Prince and Princess of Wales stood on the steps of Buckingham Palace at a garden party on Tuesday, pausing for the national anthem, you can’t help but wonder whether those traditional elements of royal life could face a shake-up when one day he leads the firm full time. Understandably, no one likes to talk about transition, and Prince William certainly doesn’t shout about his thoughts on what will come.
Mills had been spoon-fed many of these talking points, especially the “quiet disruptor” BS, the “social impact” nonsense and “convening power” stuff. William is actually copying his father with “convening power” – back in 2023, that was a HUGE talking point coming out of Buckingham Palace, that Charles believed his biggest strength as king was his convening power. In Charles’s case, that’s more accurate – he has established relationships with many world leaders, he can actually bring people to the table. That’s not the case for William. Even in these soft-focus, palace spoon-fed puff pieces, there are acknowledgements that William’s lack of depth and work ethic affects the coverage – William expects attention as his divine right as heir, and he’s mad that people think he’s boring, lazy and charisma-free. There should also be an acknowledgement that William and Kate are living the “half-in, half-out” model which was denied to the Sussexes.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
