Prince William is set to embrace a modern way of working with his return to royal engagements, having taken time off during the Easter holidays and while his wife Princess Kate recuperates as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy.
A source claimed that the Prince of Wales is hoping to combine working from home with in-person appearances to maximize the “impact” his work can have.
Wiliam is facing the pressure even more than he might have expected as heir to the throne, as he has already faced a “dry run” at being monarch due to his father King Charles being off sick.
A friend of William and Kate’s told the Daily Beast: “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 OK.
“I’m sure that will mean doing more stuff online. He can ‘WFH’ [work from home] and do hybrid working a bit. Frankly, it has more impact because it reaches many more people.”
Another former royal courtier told the publication: “William and Kate had hoped to have several decades as Prince and Princess of Wales, and, God willing, they will still get them.
“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. Of course he doesn’t welcome it, but there will certainly be some fascinating straws in the wind about what the reign of ‘King Billy’ will look like.”
William and Kate have always made it clear that their family will be the priority over royal duties, something which has attracted criticism in the past.
The Sun’s royal commentator Duncan Larcombe explained: “William has made it pretty clear that if push comes to shove, he will prioritise his wife and kids over royal duties.
“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.”
