In an attempt to end the debate over the issue of succession, Prince William has signalled that there is “no question” about whether his father will be the next monarch, despite his surge in popularity following his engagement to Kate Middleton. Royal aides insist that Prince William has “no desire to climb the ladder of kingship” prematurely, following two recent polls that found that most people believe he would make a better king than his father and think that Prince Charles should stand aside for his son.
A senior royal aide told The Sunday Telegraph: “There is no question in Prince William’s mind that the Prince of Wales will be the next monarch. Prince William is aware of the speculation, but he is very thick-skinned. He knows his place in the Royal family and he considers himself to be very low down the food chain. He has no desire to climb the ladder of kingship before his time.”
Royal sources also said that Prince William did not share his late mother’s view that he is more suited to the role of king than the Prince of Wales. “Prince William is enormously proud of his mother and all her achievements, but that is so far off what he thinks. He is very close to his father and incredibly supportive of him and his work as the Prince of Wales. Both of them will let nature take its course. There is no suggestion from anywhere within the institution that a generation will be skipped.”
Royal aides also confirmed that Prince William, who works as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, will not be stepping up his royal duties following his marriage to Miss Middleton next year, despite St James’s Palace receiving huge demand.
“The Prince is not yet a full-time member of the Royal family – first and foremost he is an RAF officer – and he will continue in his role at RAF Valley until at least 2013. After that time, he may wish to continue in some role in the military, or begin his training for kingship, which may involve attachments to various government departments to learn more about constitutional affairs. Prince William has around 20 patronages, but that number is not going to increase in the near future because he does not want to overcommit while he has a full-time job in the RAF.”
“Kate will be pursuing her own projects in time, but the plan is very much for her to be introduced to the role and shown the ropes, and not plunging in unprepared.”
Although the Queen, 84, shows no signs of slowing down or reducing her royal engagements, it was announced last week that the Duke of Edinburgh, who will be 90 next year, is gradually to wind down his official commitments.
Article: The Telegraph
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Spyridon Braoudakis
#1 by Carly on November 30, 2010 - 12:54 am
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I don’t understand this juvenile hatred towards Charles. Yes, he was a poor husband to Diana, but he is a great prince and a very hard-working professional. In the end, that is what matters most. His service to the county and the world should be measured, not his short-comings in his private life. And let’s not forget the only royal who defended Diana right after her death: Charles.
The Prince’s Trust is the largest charitable organization in Europe and raised hundreds of millions every year. He also has his own business which not only promotes environmental sustainability and responsibility, but it also serves as a main source of income. He is clearly responsible, intelligent, creative, hard-working, and he genuinely cares. Those are excellent qualities to have in a head of state that I cannot find in the current monarch.
I would never support William as king. He has shown himself to be lazy and indifferent. When Charles was in the military, he carried out nearly 100 engagements a year, whilst William does about 20.
#2 by britishroyals on December 1, 2010 - 10:07 am
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Prince Charles is definitely underrated in his wonderful work as Prince of Wales. It’s a shame people can’t see past his private life (and largely how he appears to have made Diana suffer) to appreciate the work he’s done.
William is lucky in that he’s still 2nd in line to the throne (unlike Charles during his time in the military). This enables him to forge a full time career in the forces while Granny, Dad, Uncles and Aunts help share with the workload.