How Princess Diana's 'Worst Time' With the Royals Is Shaping Prince William's Future Reign
One of the most challenging places for the Princess of Wales to visit was always Balmoral Castle in Scotland. It was the then-Prince Charles' favorite place, but it was nothing more than a stuffy home to Diana, according to her former butler, Paul Burrell.
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'Diana tried to please Charles, so her times at Balmoral were to please him,' he told Marie Claire. 'She wanted to fit in, she wanted to be loved, she wanted to be accepted, and that was all part of that acceptance. '
Diana was a 'modern woman,' but the Balmoral summers were part of the royal's 'archaic world.' The family loved hunting, schedules that ran like clockwork, and formal dinners that were part of a 'suffocating' atmosphere for her. That's why Burrell believes William is a 'catalyst for change,' ushering in a new generation of royals.
'He's already planning it now,' Burrell claimed. 'When I see him on the TV, I see his mind working and thinking, 'Oh, when I'm king, this is not going to happen.'' Describing him as the 'people's [future] king,' the former palace staffer believes that the 'pomp and pageantry and excess will not happen' under his reign.
In November 2024, William ruffled feathers with an interview with The Times. He mentioned that his time on the throne will be punctuated by putting 'a smaller r in the royal.' It had anti-monarchists complaining about William's work ethic, but the Prince of Wales was undeterred.
Look no further than the royal blueprint he laid out in November 2023 when he told reporters during his Singapore tour that he will take on less patronages in the future.
'You have to remain focused, if you spread yourself too thin, you just can't manage it and you won't deliver the impact or the change that you really want to happen,' he told the print media, via Roya Nikkhah, Royal Editor of The Sunday Times on X.
With King Charles III's illness looming in the background, it's possible that William's reign will begin much sooner than initially planned. The modernized monarchy might be just around the corner with a touch of Princess Diana's legacy at play.Best of SheKnows
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