Prince William’s Taken Over Prince Philip’s Disciplinarian Role in the Royal Family: Report
King Charles III may head up the British royal family, lead state dinners, and get massive celebrations in his honor (Trooping the Colour), but it’s Prince William who is the disciplinarian behind closed doors. The Prince of Wales, 42, has reportedly taken to “calling the shots,” filling his late grandfather Prince Philip’s role. But that doesn’t mean William’s ready to officially be “in charge.”
William has taken over for Philip as the royal family’s ‘enforcer’
According to The Daily Beast’s report on royal family power dynamics, William’s the royal family’s “enforcer,” filling a position once held by his grandpa, Philip, husband to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“There is a sense that William has stepped into the Prince Philip role,” a source told the outlet. “Philip ruled the family with a rod of iron and you saw when he died that discipline collapsed. Now William is calling the shots when it comes to family discipline. He can be scary!”
Philip died on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99. Queen Elizabeth died on Sept. 8, 2022, at the age of 96.
The “most notable effect” of William’s “enforcer” role is, the outlet wrote, the “absolute ban” on his estranged brother, Prince Harry, “returning in any way, shape, or form to the family fold.”
King Charles wants to see his youngest son, the Duke of Sussex, more. But William’s not letting that happen. That, the insider said, “tells you everything you need to know about who is really in charge.”
Prince William isn’t in a rush to take the throne
While William may be “in charge,” he’s not eager to take the throne. At least not in the near future. He and his wife, Kate Middleton, are said to be “distraught at the idea of his destiny being forced upon him before their children finish school.”
They are parents to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly experienced “tremendous anxiety” when King Charles was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, thinking their lives could change much sooner than expected.
They’re settled in their lives, “quite happy” living in Windsor, England, at the “modest” four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage. William and Kate don’t want to move to the Royal Lodge—if the king succeeds in getting Prince Andrew out—or nearby Windsor Castle.
King Charles is still an ‘immensely powerful’ British royal
Just because William’s the one “calling the shots,” his father’s still very much a powerful figure in the royal family. “William’s rise does not mean the King is a lame duck,” the outlet wrote. “He is still an immensely powerful figure whose word is (sometimes literally) law, who can get anyone in the world on the phone with a click of his fingers.”
The king’s February 2024 cancer diagnosis announcement and subsequent return to public duties on April 30, 2024, “has been nothing short of miraculous, given that he is suffering from cancer and undergoing treatment for the disease, and his surging popularity figures tell their own story.”
