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Prince William and Kate Middleton are the glue holding the future of the British monarchy together. According to a royal biographer, not only has it been that way for years, but the royal family’s spate of health issues has emphasized just how much rests on the couple’s shoulders.

The royal family could ‘come crashing down’ without William and Kate

King Charles III and Queen Camilla may be the royal family’s present, but it’s the Prince and Princess of Wales who are the “pillars on which the future of the monarchy rests,” Christopher Andersen, a royal biographer and commentator, told OK. 

Calling them “far and away the most beloved members of the royal family,” Andersen noted the future of the monarchy depends squarely on them. “If either of them starts to wobble, the whole thing can come crashing down,” he said. 

“At the moment, Kate is at her most vulnerable,” the author continued, referencing her cancer diagnosis. “The ground beneath Kate is shifting in major ways. Only time can tell if she can stand strong.”

King Charles and Kate both announced they’d been diagnosed with cancer in February and March 2024, respectively. The two, along with William, put most, if not all, royal duties on pause. 

That left the remaining working royals—Princess Anne, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, etc.—to carry out duties. 

William and his father, the king, whose cancer treatment is ongoing, both returned to work in late April 2024. Meanwhile, Kate’s break continues. 

She made her first public appearance at Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s annual birthday parade, on June 15, 2024. One day earlier, Kate released an update on her health. In it, she said she still a “few” months left of preventative chemotherapy treatment. 

Kate and William have been the monarchy’s ‘future’ since they got married

Being the future of the monarchy is nothing new to William and Kate. It’s been that way since April 29, 2011, when they got married at Westminster Abbey, according to royal author and commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. 

“The Prince and Princess of Wales have been the future of the monarchy since their marriage,” he said. “After them, their children.” The Wales kids include Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. 

“Kate has star power, beauty, poise, and dedication,” he added, noting together she and William “have a very special cachet as a couple.” 

The Princess Royal’s concussion and subsequent hospital stay in late June 2024 showed “what can happen, quite unexpectedly,” Fitzwilliams continued, noting Anne, 73, previously called her brother the king’s slimmed-down monarchy “impractical.” 

‘Elegant’ Kate is especially ‘integral’ to the monarchy’s future

William is, of course, the monarchy’s literal future as the heir to the throne, but his wife is also a key player. “The enigmatic and elegant Princess of Wales is integral to the future of the monarchy,” Helena Chard, a royal commentator, said. 

She’s even ranked third—behind William (first) and King Charles (second)—in The Daily Beast’s royal power rankings. 

“Kate’s absence from the royal fold for six months has only served to show how important she is. Without her, the royal family doesn’t have much to offer in terms of razzle-dazzle,” the outlet reported.

A royal insider even labeled Trooping the Colour “the monarchy’s best day since the coronation” because Kate was there.

When the 42-year-old returns to royal duties—Kensington Palace has yet to announce an official return date—“we will have forgotten about health battles and the fragile monarchy narrative,” Chard added. 

Meanwhile, Andersen argued “It’s hard to blame palace officials for not having a plan in place to cope with the simultaneous cancer diagnoses of King Charles and Princess Kate, much less the sidelining of such a valuable supporting player” in Anne. 

“For over 70 years, the Windsors had longevity on their side—almost to a ridiculous extent,” he said. (Queen Elizabeth II lived to be 96, her husband Prince Philip to 99, and the Queen Mother to 101.) 

“There seemed to be no need for redundancy, with senior royals seeming practically immortal, and three generations of future monarchs waiting in the wings.”

Now, with King Charles’ slimmed-down monarchy in place, “the home team is running out of options.”

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