Prince William has declared from the outset that he will be a different father, husband, and Monarch than his predecessor. Queen Elizabeth II was quick to take notice of the manner in which her grandson was handling the monarchy’s business.
In her final years, the late Queen reportedly had profound regret, according to a newly published book. The Queen, who played an insignificant role in educating her grandson, carried the weight of a somewhat failed relationship — while she had a wonderful relationship with Prince William, she believed she was unable to teach him certain valuable lessons as a human being and as the future King of the UK.
Her Majesty felt she had failed to fully instill in her grandson the paramount importance of sacrifice and unwavering duty above all else. The Queen strongly believed that this lesson needed to be taught because the Crown’s survival depends on total, non-negotiable dedication.
Queen Elizabeth, in her final days, held on to fears for the monarchy’s future. The Queen was not alone in carrying that burden; concern about the monarchy’s future generation now rests on King Charles III‘s shoulders, according to Robert Jobson’s new book, The Windsor Legacy.
Jobson quotes the late Queen confiding to insiders that she “feared he might become a ‘celebrity Monarch’ rather than embody the committed, duty-bound spirit necessary for the throne.”
The Rigidity of a Future King
Royal insiders say the Queen’s anxiety stemmed from William’s occasional rigidity. He sometimes placed his modern family above the institution’s demands.
Via the Daily Mail, it was revealed: “Although she loved William and saw much to admire, she told insiders that she feared he might become a ‘celebrity Monarch’ rather than a dedicated one. His rigidity, according to a royal source, occasionally frustrated her.”
While Prince William often stated that he was strict on certain matters, such as school drop-offs and family dinners, the Queen interpreted it differently.
When talking to confidants, the Queen shared her belief that Prince William used the excuse of being inflexible as a shield. Yes, it was an attempt to protect his family’s privacy, but also a potential deviation from the deep-seated work ethic that defined her 70-year reign.
Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, have often landed the title of work-shy. While Princess Anne and King Charles, both over 70, have carried the weight of duty, royal engagements year after year, even when they are ill.
According to the journalist and biographer, for Elizabeth II, duty was a covenant, not a schedule to be adjusted. This generational clash came to a head in the summer of 2022.
An Unheeded Call to Duty
In the book, royal sources pinpoint an exchange between the Queen and her grandson that left her bitterly disappointed. The book revealed in July 2022, just months before her death, that the unwell Queen had a direct appeal for her grandson: “the Queen asked him to stand in for her at the official opening of Thames Hospice’s new 29-bed facility by Bray Lake, Berkshire, near Windsor. She had a particular connection with it through a retiring staff member who had looked after the budgerigars at the Royal Aviary, and she didn’t want to let anyone down. But on the day of the ceremony, July 15, 2022, she was feeling particularly frail. William’s schedule might well have accommodated this last-minute duty, but he cried off, citing fatherly duties. This left his grandmother not only disappointed but irritated.“
Kate Middleton and Prince William have made a point of always picking up and dropping off their three children at school.
The Scathing Retort
According to the book, Prince William’s refusal left his grandmother not only “disappointed but irritated.” The Queen had spent decades leading by example, sacrificing her time with her family for the benefit of the relentless schedule of public life, never missing an important event, always gracious and generous in her interactions with the British public.
Therefore, she saw Prince William’s refusal to appear at the event and support the cause as a breakdown of royal discipline. The Queen’s blunt response to her grandson cut to the heart of the matter.
The Queen was direct. According to the royal staff member who spoke to the author: “She is said to have scoffed: ‘Isn’t that what nannies and policemen are for?’”
This anecdote was widely reported in royal circles. It crystallized the Queen’s gravest concern. She feared the future King might not have the total, institutional dedication she considered essential to the Crown’s survival.
Sources close to King Charles raised the same concerns in The Daily Mail and The Daily Beast. His Majesty fears that Prince William will step back from royal engagements, his decision to further slim down the monarchy until it is a skeleton, and his desire to be out of the public eye will make it harder for the monarchy to survive — certainly, under King William, it will not thrive or expand.
