Royal family illnesses shine a spotlight on Prince William

STORY: There's a spotlight on Prince William like never before.

As heir to the throne - and son of late Princess Diana...

William is used to the scrutiny that comes with being a British royal.

But his father and wife's absence from public life have meant even greater attention has turned to the future King William V.

Anna Whitelock is a professor of the history of the monarchy at the University of London.

''He knows he has to be ready to be king. I think that's the very scary moment that William would have been all too aware of, the moment of his grandmother's death."

William's grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

She died in September of 2022 - a year after her husband Philip.

It left the monarchy looking noticeably smaller...

....especially with the high-profile fallout with Prince Harry and his wife Megan...

...and the scandal over Prince Andrew's friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Now - the current absence of Charles and Kate as they battle cancer - has brought that even more into focus.

"You know, and when that cancer diagnosis came, of course, I'm sure his first reaction was as a son, concern for his father. But there is also this big weight of responsibility that suddenly starts to kind of descend upon his shoulders. And I'm sure he's very, very aware of that."

So what would William be like as King?

The prince has not been shy to speak his mind and criticize world leaders over the environment.

In February, he voiced concern over the Israel-Hamas war and its death toll:

an unusually direct intervention from a British royal.

He's also won praise for championing causes like mental health.

"He wants to actually play a role and use his platform. And I think it's going to be really interesting over the next few years to see whether people are ready for that or whether there is a kind of line which he ends up having to be very clear that he doesn't cross.''

And as for how one person can handle these stressors in the public eye, author and royal biographer Robert Hardman has a response:

''I'm sure when the time comes, Prince William will step up to the plate. I mean, we saw how in the aftermath of the death of Elizabeth II, the second the longest lived, longest reigning monarch, we've ever had, people thought, how do you follow that? Well, the answer is monarchy gets on with it. It stands for continuity and stability, and one generation moves on."