Prince William Is Reportedly ‘Lagging Behind’ in His Royal Duties, Has ‘Catching up to Do,’ per Royal Expert
Prince William, formerly the Duke of Cambridge, had his title upgraded to Prince of Wales upon the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. William and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, have since taken on the duties of representing the Welsh people. William has been dutifully working for the royal family for decades, including making appearances, holding patronages, and serving in the British military.
However, now that he’s taken on the responsibility of the Welsh people, one royal expert says William has been “lagging” in those Wales-based duties and that he has “catching up to do” in order to support them as well as his father, King Charles (formerly the Prince of Wales) did.
Prince William is now known as the Prince of Wales
William’s title has changed a few times since his birth. Born to Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who were the Prince and Princess of Wales at the time, William was immediately known as Prince William. But after marrying Kate Middleton, despite keeping his prince title, he also became known as the Duke of Cambridge. Alongside Kate, the two became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and when they welcomed their own children, each of the kids immediately held prince and princess titles.
Upon Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022, Prince Charles effectively became King Charles III, and William and Kate adopted the new titles of Prince and Princess of Wales. They now represent the Welsh people.
Prince William is reportedly ‘lagging’ in his duties to the Welsh people
One of the first royal trips William and Kate took after Queen Elizabeth’s mourning period ended was to Wales — to introduce themselves to their people. Kate memorably wore an iconic, bright-red coat, signaling confidence in her new role. However, one royal expert thinks that William is now “lagging” in his royal duties to the Welsh people and has some major shoes to fill that his father once wore.
Royal author Huw Thomas, who wrote “Charles: The King and Wales,” recently said he thought William was “lagging” in his duties, per Express. “He’s [William] got a lot of catching up to do in terms of the public perception of him as a Prince of Wales,” Thomas said. “The impression I get as well is that, after the Coronation, there’s going to be a bit of a supercharge on the relationship of William with Wales. We’ll see what comes.”
King Charles’ coronation was held on May 6, and Thomas thinks William will now make a strong push to gain support from the Welsh. Of course, William is tasked with plenty of other royal duties, including preparing to someday be king, so it’s possible Kate Middleton might take on a greater role in pleasing the Welsh people. However, if Charles could balance both Prince of Wales and future king, then there’s no reason to think William cannot. It’s unclear when the Prince and Princess of Wales will return to the country, but Thomas seems to think William’s initiatives in Wales will “focus on mental health” because it’s something William and Kate have been interested in working with for quite a while.
