Prince William Plans Return to Duties as a ‘WFH’ Royal

Prince William plans a return to full-time royal duties starting next week, combining digital ‘WFH’ appearances and in-person engagements to maximize ‘impact’ in what sources said is ‘a pattern’ and a “trial” for his future reign.

William, who had not been seen or heard from for more than three weeks before his wife Kate Middleton announced she had been diagnosed with cancer, returned to public visibility Wednesday with a social media post making tribute to a leading female footballer who retired from the England national team. team.

It was a carefully calibrated return to public life, and continued digital engagement of this type is seen as a key part of his strategy to combine the unexpected intensification of his royal role occasioned by the illness of his father with being a “family member”. man,” bringing a sort of “WFH” approach to royal affairs, as a friend put it.

William spent the last three weeks of the school holidays at his country home on the Sandringham Estate with his family, time which also helped him prepare for what another source described as “an attempt to be king much sooner than he could have imagined.” – referring to the fact that his father, King Charles III, was forced to step down from public duties due to his own cancer treatment, leaving William as the most high-profile member of the family still active.

He is thought to have enjoyed his time away from the spotlight and was reportedly spotted earlier this week enjoying a pint at a local pub with his mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, confirming rumors that Kate’s family were mobilizes to help the princess. as she recovers from cancer.

Charles is believed to have spent several days in Scotland for his wedding anniversary, and although he has also been largely off the radar, apart from an Easter Day appearance, it is not believed that the father and the son met during the Easter holidays. Charles, however, left little doubt about his admiration for Kate, with his aides telling the Daily Beast that he is “proud” of the way she has decided to publicly address her illness.

While Kensington Palace declined to comment on exactly William’s plans for the coming weeks and did not respond to questions about whether William would work more online, his office previously informed reporters that he could expect to be seen again in public. once the school year starts again on Wednesday next week. The Daily Beast understands that’s still the plan and he will make a series of in-person public appearances over the coming weeks.

A friend of the couple told the Daily Beast: “In many ways, the next few weeks and months will serve as a template for his future reign, as he will have a similar staff after he ascends the throne, even if it doesn’t won’t happen before. many years. I think you’ll see him trying to balance the demands of the state with those of being a good family man, taking care of his sick wife, and making sure his kids are okay. I’m sure this will mean doing more things online. He can “WFH” and do some hybrid work. Frankly, it has more impact because it affects many more people.

Another source, a former royal courtier, told the Daily Beast: “William and Kate had hoped to have several decades as the Prince and Princess of Wales, and, God willing, they will always get them. But what’s interesting about the next few months is that William is forced to embark on an attempt to become king much sooner than he could have imagined such a thing would happen. “Of course he doesn’t like it, but there will certainly be some fascinating ideas floating around about what the reign of ‘King Billy’ will look like.”

One thing that seems certain when talking to William’s friends and advisors, recently and over the past few years, is that he has no intention of emulating his grandmother’s model of to make several hundred commitments per year and to be the patron of hundreds and hundreds of charities. . The objective will rather be to represent fewer causes but to have more “impact”, to use a preferred term.

This is what William himself said in uncompromising comments to print journalists who accompanied him on a trip to Singapore in November for the Earthshot Prize, which aims to develop solutions technologies to the climate crisis.

Jonathan Brady/Pool via Reuters

William praised his family for “putting forward many (causes)” but said, in an explicit rejection of the former royal habit of taking on hundreds of charities (Prince Philip had more than 800 charities under her wing and Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of more than 800 charities). than 500) William said, “You have to stay focused. If you spread yourself too thin, you simply won’t be able to achieve it and you won’t achieve the impact or change you really want.

Citing his own involvement in the homeless sector, he said his aim was to be involved “deeper and longer”, rather than “just having a bunch of causes that you show up and monitor”.

But have no doubt: If the last few weeks have shown anything, it’s that the needs of Kate and the children will always trump, for William, the demands of the state and charities. Kate is doing well, her team says, but if conflict arises, William likely won’t hesitate to cancel his royal engagements to focus on his family.

Like Duncan Larcombe, royal commentator and former royal editor of the British tabloid The sun, told the Daily Beast: “William has made it clear that if push comes to shove, he will prioritize his wife and children over royal duties. He’s torn at the moment because he obviously has responsibilities towards his family but also towards his job as a royal. Doing more things online is clearly a way to balance these demands.