KUALA LUMPUR – With his father King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, Prince William, the youngest and most prominent member of the working royals, has been tasked with assuming the role of representing the British monarchy to the public.
According to reports by the Wall Street Journal, polls show that the Prince of Wales, 41, is already the most popular member of the royal family.
Over the years, the prince has built up a reputation of being a steady pair of hands who rarely causes controversy and is an adept practitioner of the House of Windsor’s well-tested formula of polite neutrality.
William, who is the king’s immediate heir, will gain experience as the House of Windsor’s public face, even if his role is symbolic and his father remains head of state.
The 75-year-old king’s diagnosis came less than a year after he was crowned and 17 months after his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s demise, making Charles the oldest British monarch to accede to the throne after a record seven decades of waiting as heir.
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the monarch’s cancer had been caught early, raising hopes that the king would make a complete recovery and return to public duties in the coming months.
As the monarch focuses on his recovery, the spotlight is now on William, who is also the future king.
William, who had been away from his royal duties, aiding his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, in her recovery from abdominal surgery, returned to official duties yesterday.
Kate spent almost two weeks at the private London Clinic and is now recovering at home.
William has also spoken about his father’s cancer diagnosis for the first time in a speech, thanking the public for their “kind messages of support.”
Meanwhile, Prince Harry was also reported to have flown more than 8,000km to see his father after Charles was diagnosed with cancer.
But Harry did not see his estranged brother during a visit that lasted scarcely 24 hours, the British media reported.
The royal brothers remain emotionally and physically an ocean apart.
Photos of Harry at Heathrow yesterday were also published, just a day after he arrived at the same airport on a flight from Los Angeles.
He appeared to have gone back to California life after visiting his father, having spent less than an hour at Clarence House, the London residence of the king. – February 8, 2024