William prepares to be ‘the toughest king’

Taking advantage of his father’s absence and weakening to gain ground, the Prince of Wales is laying the foundations for his future reign. And he plans to take a very different turn from that operated by Charles III.

A year ago, when the health misadventures of the royal family were just beginning with the announcement of the first operations, William, 42, found himself faced with a dizzying thought. The imminence of his reign. And the obligation, much earlier than expected, to put aside his precious private life, as well as the family balance established since his marriage to Kate Middleton. A prospect which, according to royalty experts at the time, caused “intense anxiety” in the future monarch.

Nearly twelve months later, it is clear that Charles is still alive – and that William has come out of the fire. Even if we are not likely to soon forget the scandal of the photoshopped family photo nor one of the worst media crises in recent royal memory, linked to the “disappearance” of Kate, the prince ended up falling back on his legs.

The announcement of Kate’s cancer, at the end of March 2024, made it possible to calm things down and manage her treatment in privacy.Keystone

In the summer of 2024, a new era opened for the Prince of Wales, between management of an unprecedented family situation and the necessary maintenance of his public role. A role all the more essential as his father, Charles III, also ill, was forced to let go.

“Although King Charles carried out his duties with characteristic determination, he had to accept limitations during his cancer treatment,” notes royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith in the magazine People.

The monarchy with William sauce

Far from curling up and waiting in anguish, William has seized this opportunity to rise to prominence and make decisions that he believes will benefit the Crown in the long term. To the point that today, “he has never been so influential”, judges an insider in the well-informed tabloid InTouch Weekly. Also, sometimes, even if it means flirting with authoritarianism.

The contours of the future reign have already been outlined, starting with the royal team which will surround the future sovereign. William learned lessons from his father’s promise of a “lite monarchy”, stripped down to the bare minimum. He who is not among the most hardworking members of the Windsors (his number of engagements per year is, for example, well below that of his aunt, Princess Anne), the Prince of Wales knows the importance of a clan provided to lighten the collective burden.

Behind the scenes, he is already actively maneuvering to fill the ranks with the most loyal and hardworking elements of the Windsors – starting with his uncle and aunt. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, of whom Kate and William are “big fans” and with whom “they get on very well”, says a palace source in the Sunday Times are destined to play an increasingly important role.

Edward and Sophie are part of that rare – but appreciable – Windsor breed who are rarely seen in the tabloids, but who work hard.WireImage

Sophie, in particular, is seen as a “real asset”. One of the monarchy’s “safest people”, revered by the late Queen Elizabeth for her loyalty, pragmatism and no-fuss approach to royal life. The Duchess is the fourth hardest-working member of the family, with 257 official engagements at home and abroad last year.

In addition to replenishing the team, William also intends to bring in new blood, while the members of the royal family still in service age inexorably. With figures like the Duke of Kent (89 years old), the Duke of Gloucester (80 years old), and the Duchess of Gloucester (78 years old), the average age of British working royals is 69 years old. Without Kate and William, it rises to 77 years old.

To make his reign more “sexy”, the Prince of Wales is banking on the investment of the new generation. In addition to his own children (George, 11 years old, Charlotte, 9 years old, and Prince Louis, 6 years old), he would also have approached his cousins, Lady Louise, 21 years old, and James, 17 years old.

Lady Louise and James Wessex grew up away from the public eye.Getty Images Europe

If they accept this role, Edward and Sophie’s children would join the senior members, whose salaries are funded by the taxpayer, in exchange for their participation in public events, as representatives of the Crown.

All that remains is to convince them, and it will be far from easy. In keeping with their parents’ desire to raise them as “normally” as possible, Louise and James largely stayed out of the spotlight. To the point that Louise politely refused the title that was offered to her on a plate at the age of 18.

Everything suggests that his younger brother, who will reach his majority next December, will follow his example.

Economic austerity

If William differs from his father on the strengthening of the royal team, he nevertheless shares the same obsession: financial austerity, essential to improve the public image of the Firm in these difficult economic times and while the good British people are tighten the belt.

No more private flights or endless family real estate negotiations. As well as Prince Andrew-style scandals, again and again entangled in new affairs. While he is set to become the “toughest ruler the family has ever known”, according to insiders, the future William V will accept “no nonsense”. And as the saying goes, the will of the king is law.