Forget the Prince Harry Drama — Prince William Is the One Reportedly Frustrating King Charles
Prince Harry’s reunion with King Charles III went so smoothly that royal experts are now turning their focus to Prince William — and it’s not looking good for him.
Tina Brown’s Sept. 10 Fresh Hell Substack column hinted that the media and the monarch are tired of the Prince of Wales’ light schedule. Even though he and Kate Middleton stepped up their engagements — curiously timed to Harry’s U.K. visit — William doesn’t seem to have the leeway to have a part-time royal schedule anymore.
Brown noted that Charles is “currently less irritated with the prodigal Harry than he is with his elder son and heir.” It appears that the palace would like William to assume a more active role in his royal duties. “After five confirmed family vacations in the past seven months, William’s first-week-back diary pulsated with two outings: a father-daughter excursion to a Women’s Rugby World Cup pool match and a stroll through the Natural History Museum’s new gardens,” she wrote.
In comparison, Charles “has carried out official engagements on 175 days during the past 12 months,” all while battling cancer. Yep, William’s work ethic is becoming a problem again. At least once a year, the issue is raised, and his “Work-Shy Willie” nickname from years ago has morphed into the “10 a.m. to 4 p.m.” prince, per a March 2024 Daily Mail article.
Last year was a difficult one for William and Kate, and certainly no one faulted him for prioritizing Kate’s needs amid her cancer battle — but things are different a year later. Still, William’s “stubborn nature” is reportedly “contributing to the current sense of aimlessness” in his leadership role.
It’s gotten to the point that even his aunt, Princess Anne, is “annoyed” that her nephew can’t seem to find the time to do “more of the ‘bread-and-butter’ royal engagements” for the palace, according to The Times. “She’s still doing most of the investitures [at Windsor] even though William lives there. It annoys her,” one of Anne’s pals revealed to the U.K. media outlet in July.
With less focus on Harry’s royal exit, the press has more time to take a closer look at what William is (or isn’t) doing for the royal family. With his younger brother donating $1 million to the Children in Need project out of his own pocket, Brown said the quiet part out loud.
“[Harry’s donation] cannily unleashed for William the uneasy question of what exactly the 43-year-old Prince of Wales is doing with the £23 million a year he gets from the Duchy of Cornwall,” she wrote.
The scrutiny is off Harry for now, so William might have to answer some deeper questions about his role not only to his father, but to the British taxpayers.
Before you go, click here to see the best photos of Princess Diana playing with William and Harry.