Prince William Has the Weight of the World on His Shoulders With the Monarchy in Crisis
It’s been one blow after the other for the royal family ever since Queen Elizabeth II passed away in 2022. The palace never thought they would be at a point where they would be down so many senior working royals, but the health crises have unexpectedly thinned the roster for now. The burden of what is happening behind palace walls falls upon Prince William, the future King of England.
If it was just his father going through a health issue, it would be much easier for the Prince of Wales to step forward into the spotlight. With Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis, the logistics became much more complicated. “It’s been stressful,” an insider told Us Weekly. “William feels a profound sense of duty to uphold the monarchy’s stability and inspire confidence in the public that everything will be OK. It’s an immense responsibility.”
It’s not an understatement when royal experts talk about the royal family finding themselves in a period of upheaval. “It was always anticipated that Charles would have three working siblings and two working children and their wives, and that would be a sustainable footing,” historian Gareth Russell told the outlet. There is no way Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are coming back into the royal fold — they are busy living their best lives in the U.S. So, William has to find a way to be everything to everyone — an attentive husband, a doting father, and a leader in his royal role. That’s not an easy task and as Russell pointed out, “while it’s no one’s fault, it does show the cracks.”
Royal expert Dr. Tessa Dunlop explained to the Mirror that the entire situation was “a little bittersweet” because the Sussexes have finally found their footing in California while “our own beleaguered royals are forced to go to ground with a myriad of health problems.” Even though Princess Anne, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh are happily picking up the slack with royal engagements, the star power of Charles, William, and especially Kate is missing.
Tina Brown, a noted royal journalist, also pointed out that William and Kate have to face the reality that they may be crowned king and queen much sooner than they ever imagined. “Frozen, unready, and with Catherine now seriously unwell, the Prince and Princess of Wales await the awesome burden of the crown,” Brown wrote in a recent New York Times essay. Prince William is feeling the weight of the world from all angles right now, and he’s going to have to start facing a future that might require an emergency plan.
Before you go, click here to see the 100 best photos of the royal family from the past 20 years.