Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s surprise exit from royal life two years ago, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton have stepped up, seeing their positions pushed to further prominence. The Sussexes’ decision to move to America in 2020 led to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge taking on more responsibilities, particularly in the wake of the Queen taking a step back to focus on her health.
As the future king, William, 40, has taken this unexpected turn in his stride, placing more focus on the monarchy’s future. But experts have commented that his family may be taking second place to his duty to the throne. Recently, it was claimed William made the choice to put the interests of the monarchy before his family after Megxit. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, William and Harry’s former private secretary, said, “He has made the conscious decision that duty comes first.”
And the thought of the devoted family man being pulled away from her and their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, is bound to secretly sadden his wife Kate, reveals Bella’s royal expert Duncan Larcombe. He says, “She will be heartbroken about having to share her husband as he grows into his destiny. She’s very supportive, but she’s had to accept that he will spend less time at home as his priorities change due to circumstances.”
As the heir to the throne, William’s importance has risen with the departure of Harry and Meghan, as he and Kate are at the centre of the royal family. Duncan continues, “For the first ten years of marriage, William prioritised his family and got his life together with Kate. Their first home as husband and wife was a little farm cottage hidden away in Anglesey, Wales. When they had children, they tried to keep them behind the scenes. But now, it seems like William’s priorities have started to change. He’s now, in all but name, the serving Prince of Wales because his father is acting as Prince Regent, so he’s gone from being valuable to being the royals’ most important asset. That’s his impossible dilemma.”
Duncan adds, “William is now performing such an important role in the royal family that the pressure on him must be enormous, and on Kate, too. If the Foreign Office call, the England football team win or a royal is needed to make a speech, William is now the person to represent the Queen and monarchy. He wanted to primarily be a parent while his kids are young, but he’s no longer able to enjoy the luxury of being a father and husband – he needs to fulfil his duties. Ultimately, he will have to work out how possible it is to balance the country’s needs with those of his wife and children. But Kate and their family may have to play second fiddle.”
Duncan, who has known Wills since the prince was a teenager, revealed that Charles and Diana’s firstborn has been preparing for responsibility all his life. “William has always been very methodical in his thinking. He’s considered, like Charles. He tends to think five years ahead. He has always had a very clear vision of his life mapped out,” the royal author says. “While the pace of his path is out of his control, he knows he will be Prince of Wales someday. He has one destiny, one job to fulfil. He will be thinking of, and focusing on, what life will be like when the Queen is no longer with us, so he’s growing in his profile, his ambition and his exposure.
“Three years ago, when the Queen was doing more duties and Harry and Meghan were around, William and Kate could stick to some of the causes close to their heart. Now, they’re the go-to royals and there’s tremendous pressure on them. William’s battle is to balance the impossible task of giving Kate and his own family the right amount of priority.”
William and Kate, 40, recently relocated from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage on the Queen’s Windsor estate, so they can be closer to the monarch. But with the prince’s focus more on official business, Kate is very protective of their children and has feared exposing them to the public eye. It’s Kate who strives to give them normalcy despite their privileged status.
“Unlike Charles and Diana, William and Kate have struck the perfect balance – they both have star attraction and are a great double act,” Duncan explains. “Their ultimate priority is their children and their family. They don’t want to pack their kids up to boarding school, but how realistic is it for them to continue on with their lives while going on royal tours? Kate wants to stay at home with the kids, but William touring the world doesn’t have the same appeal as William and Kate, so he’ll need her to join him. Together, they are the super-couple.”
Kate has previously spoken about her mum guilt. “It’s a constant challenge… juggling work life and family life”, she’s said, adding that Charlotte often asks, “Mummy, how could you possibly not be dropping us off?”
All this comes amid Kate’s fresh fears for their children, particularly after they took prominence at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Duncan says, “There’s been a certain degree of reluctance from Kate and William over the kids being so public, but they knew that they couldn’t keep the next future king of England hidden away until his coronation. Once George attends more engagements and gets photographed, it’s impossible to hide Charlotte and Louis because they wouldn’t want George to feel special.
“In letting George set foot in public, they’ve let the others out, too, and the whole policy about the children has changed. It’s all part of William’s long-term plan.”
On top of this fresh pressure on them, Kate remains saddened by the falling-out between William and his younger brother Harry. “Harry and Kate had a deep bond. He described her as ‘the sister he never had’,” Duncan says. “Kate is also nurturing, and she and William had children before Harry, so ‘Uncle Harry’ was very much part of the family in those early years. In Kate, Harry had someone who he could really open his heart to, to share dilemmas with and ask for advice.”