Prince William's plan for future of monarchy revealed
IN LONDON
Details of Prince William's plans for the future of the monarchy have been laid bare by several sources close to him.
In a wide-ranging profile published by The Times UK in honour of the Prince of Wales' 43rd birthday, personal insights into how he really feels about the 'formalities' and pomp and pageantry surrounding his role were revealed – as well as his plans for the future of the monarchy.
A major theme was the confirmation that there will be an overhaul of procedure at Buckingham Palace once William is King.
'He's definitely been thinking a lot about how things will evolve over time. When the moment comes, he'll want to do it his way: genuinely, not just following a script,' a friend of the prince's told The Times' Roya Nikkah.
'He's not afraid to dig into the details, ask the tough questions, and figure out what actually works today. He wants to make sure the whole thing has even more impact and remains relevant.'
Insiders added that William is also 'mindful of how much the monarchy costs' and plans to 'take every stone and look underneath it' while reviewing the 'footprint of the institution'.
And fresh from William's appearance alongside the King and Queen in the carriage procession at Royal Ascot this week, a source who 'knows him well' told Nikkah: 'I never get the feeling the whole top hat and racing is really his thing, and he's such as much. He's never really seemed comfortable doing it.'
According to friends of William's, when it comes to his ongoing estrangement from his younger brother, there has been a 'marked, recent shift'.
Noting that he'd previously been left furious at Harry's public criticisms of his family – particularly in his memoir, Spare, which delved into arguments between the siblings in excruciating detail – he is now more indifferent, albeit 'burning' inside.
'What has struck me the most recently is that he just doesn't mention it at all. It used to be that the family stuff was taking up a lot of space in his head, it was a very close relationship and he was very upset,' the pal said.
'But he's not letting it get to him at all any more. It is a change. It's sad, but it's a much healthier space for him to be at.'
The latest personal deep-dive into the future monarch follows another published in The Times early last month, which examined what it was like to actually work with him.
As a 'senior figure' on one of his projects told royal editor Kate Mansey, he is a 'stringent boss' and 'won't be pushed into anything he doesn't want to do'.
According to others, the heir to the throne is also 'known to fire off dozens of weekend WhatsApp [messages] to staff'.
Other sources claimed that he is 'laser-focused' when it comes to his goals, but is both 'thoughtful' and 'collaborative' and his 'sometimes tough approach is born of a zeal to get results'.
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