Prince William's Future Leadership Style Is Getting a Test Run During Kate Middleton's Health Crisis

Prince William made his intentions clear late last year that his time on the throne will look different from King Charles III — less patronages and royal appearances. With wife Kate Middleton currently battling cancer, the Prince of Wales has decided to give his leadership style a test run, which he hopes will give him a better work-life balance as a royal.

With Prince William expected to return to his working royal role next week, The Daily Beast is reporting that he’s unveiling his new strategy, and it’s very post-pandemic oriented. The outlet’s sources divulged that he will be bringing back “WFH” Zoom appearances to streamline his calendar while still making a philanthropic “impact.” A friend of the Wales family explained, “In many ways, the next few weeks and months will be a template for his future reign because he will have similar personnel available after he succeeds to the throne, even if that doesn’t happen for many years. I think you’ll see him try and balance the demands of state with the demands of being a good family man, taking care of his sick wife, and making sure his kids are doing well.”

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Think of William’s plan as a “hybrid” approach to being a leader — he will be “doing more stuff online” while still doing engagements for the projects he’s passionate about, including his Earthshot Prize and driving solutions for the unhoused. The Prince of Wales soft-launched this idea while traveling with the British press during his Singapore tour last fall. He shared that he wanted to narrow his focus to “social leadership” to “bring change” in a more meaningful way. “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.

A second source noted that King Charles’ health battles are forcing William to think about the future much sooner than he anticipated. “William and Kate had hoped to have several decades as Prince and Princess of Wales, and, God willing, they will still get them,” they explained to The Daily Beast. “But what is interesting about the next few months is that William is being forced into a dry run at being king much sooner than he might have imagined such a thing would come to pass.” This unprecedented moment in time is giving royal watchers a taste of what “the reign of ‘King Billy’ will look like.”

The move might draw the ire of critics who still call him “work-shy” because they may not understand a hybrid approach that breaks all previous royal protocols. However, Prince William has made it clear that his family will always come first over his role at the palace. “William has made it pretty clear that if push comes to shove, he will prioritize his wife and kids over royal duties,” royal expert Duncan Larcombe told the outlet.” He is torn at the moment because he obviously has responsibilities to his family but also to his work as a royal. Doing more stuff online is clearly one way of balancing those demands.”

Before you go, click here to see the 100 best photos of the royal family from the past 20 years.

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