Ever since Prince Charles became King Charles, Prince William received new responsibilities to go with his promotion.
He played multiple roles in his father’s coronation. He is (unless the UK ditches the Renn Faire mascot act) the future King of England. And he is now the Prince of Wales.
But stepping into his mother’s shoes is not an easy task. Especially for a man who reminds the public more of his father.
In fact, King Charles himself is reportedly unimpressed with William’s lukewarm start with the people of Wales.
Believe it or not, King Charles III managed to “win over” a sizable portion of the Welsh community. This was way back when he assumed the title of Prince of Wales.
The monarchy is astonishingly popular in Wales. Just over 50% of the population says that they’d vote to keep this institution. If, you know, it were put to a vote.
Those numbers will inevitably dwindle as younger generations become the minority. But it means that Charles currently has the hearts of the majority of Welsh citizens.
Huw Thomas, a BBC Journalist, told The Times that Prince William has a lot to do. He’ll need to put in the work before he can endear himself to the people of Wales.
In Thomas’ assessment, William has some serious “catching up to do” with the Welsh citizenry.
Why? Because, right now, the “public perception” does not paint a flattering image.
“The impression I get as well is that, after the coronation, there’s going to be a bit of a supercharge on the relationship of William with Wales,” Thomas shared. “We’ll see what comes.”
It is a sad day when someone learns that they are less popular than King Charles III.
But, to be fair, Charles did take his responsibilities seriously. It’s unclear if William will do the same.
When Charles was a young man, he became Prince of Wales. He had many detractors, even then.
However, he learned Welsh — a clear deviation from the standard image that one has of British royalty.
This allowed him to communicate with the people of Wales on a personal level. He changed hearts and minds, believe it or not.
Meanwhile, it seems that William “has done little extracurricular work before his new role.”
He had to have known that this appointment was coming. His life path has very few surprises, after all.
And William cannot use an investiture like his father did, because the UK’s budget is so dismal right now. So … he’s going to have an uphill battle.
“Certainly, up until Charles, there wasn’t a Prince of Wales that paid anywhere near the attention that he has paid to understanding Wales and Welshness,” Thomas reasoned.
“So, William has his work cut out for him,” he assessed.
Thomas noted that this was “because his dad put in a lot of effort to earn the Welsh community’s respect. And its citizens are calling on the new Prince of Wales to do the same.”