Prince William Preparing to Be King By Acting as a ‘Placeholder’ for Queen Elizabeth Claims Royal Source
Prince William is preparing to be King by taking more of a leadership role amid the coronavirus crisis. Queen Elizabeth has officially left Buckingham Palace and Prince Charles has already canceled his upcoming engagements. With the rest of the royal family taking precautions to avoid catching the virus, royal experts believe William will take on a bigger role in the monarchy in the weeks to come.
The royals take action amid coronavirus concerns
With Queen Elizabeth in her 90s and Charles in his 70s, they are both in the high-risk category for the novel coronavirus. To protect the future of the monarchy, the royals have taken measures to ensure Queen Elizabeth and Charles’ safety.
This week, Queen Elizabeth left Buckingham Palace and is expected to remain in Windsor Castle well beyond her usual Easter break. She has also canceled a number of public engagements in the coming weeks. Prince William also became the first royal to publicly address the pandemic on social media.
Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, have taken similar action. The two recently announced that they are postponing their tour of Jordan and the Republic of Cyprus.
If the coronavirus crisis continues to escalate in the UK, Queen Elizabeth and Charles will likely self-quarantine. With Prince Harry and Prince Andrew no longer working on behalf of the royal family, that leaves Prince William to pick up the slack.
Prince William to become a ‘placeholder’ with Queen Elizabeth gone
Most of the senior members of the royal family have already taken a step back from their duties, and royal experts believe that William will become the temporary face of the monarchy.
According to Daily Mail, royal expert Nigel Cawthorne, who wrote the book Call Me Diana: Princess Diana on Herself, revealed that William will likely be the “placeholder” for Queen Elizabeth in the coming months.
“It is entirely sensible for Prince William to act as placeholder for the Queen,” Cawthorne shared. “There has to be a physical presence to the monarchy, not just a virtual one. He’s third-in-line to the throne and in robust health like his brother, and COVID-19 is unlikely to be any serious threat for him or his wife or children. He will do a great job.”
Prince William is currently second in line to the throne, so it makes sense that he would be the first person Queen Elizabeth turns to in time of crisis. Charles would be another obvious choice, but his age puts him in the high-risk group of getting the coronavirus.
If Harry were still a senior member of the royal family, he would likely be supporting his brother during the crisis. The Duke of Sussex, however, is currently in self-isolation with his family in Canada.
What kind of responsibilities will Prince William undertake?
In the event that William does take charge in Queen Elizabeth’s absence, his role would likely be focused behind-the-scenes. The royals have canceled upcoming engagements, so there is not a need for William to appear on behalf of Her Majesty.
But as Cawthorne noted, there are a lot of meetings and matters of the state that will need William’s attention. With most of the royals out, it will be up to Prince William to make these decisions and keep the monarchy going.
“[There are] classified informal meetings on matters of state, and the monarchy is an enormous machine with many employees staying in touch with people, cities and charities across Britain and the world,” he explained.
Cawthorne added that some of these important decisions will undoubtedly be forwarded to Queen Elizabeth. But there will be many face-to-face meetings that will require smaller decisions to be made.
The UK government might also rely on Prince William to be the face of the monarchy while Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with heads of states and representatives from governments around the world.
The Duke of Cambridge speaks about the coronavirus
Prince William is clearly poised to take on responsibilities fit for a king, and he is already displaying qualities of a good leader in times of crisis. While the rest of the royals practice social distancing and self-isolation, William recently released a statement regarding the coronavirus outbreak.
According to Town and Country, the Duke of Cambridge just announced that help is on the way in the form of the National Emergencies Trust. The organization is currently raising funds to help out local charities and people who have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Whenever and wherever adversity strikes, the people of the UK have a unique ability to pull together. The way that local communities support those affected shows the very best of our values and human nature,” William shared. “The public’s desire to help in the wake of tragedy needs to be managed and channeled in the best possible way – which is why the establishment of National Emergencies Trust was so important.”
Prince Harry, who is currently in Canada with his family, also released a message about the virus on social media. Harry admitted that the future is uncertain and that everyone needs to lean on “each other for truth, for support, and to feel less alone.”
Prince William has not responded to the reports surrounding his increased responsibilities.
