Prince William and Kate Middleton Need to Step It Up and Start Working More, According to the King’s Former Butler
Now that calendars have switched into a new year anyone who wants a fresh start has a chance to make changes from how they did things the previous year. This is true for members of the royal family too as Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) are expected to ramp things up so they’re not branded “lazy” for the amount of work they did in 2023.
Here’s more on that and what King Charles’ former butler says the couple could do to steer clear from that label in 2024.
Prince William and Kate could be viewed as ‘lazy’ for number of engagements they attend
In 2023, the Prince of Wales carried out 172 royal engagements while his wife clocked 128. But that’s far less than some other royals which is why one commentator says they need to step it up so they’re not viewed as “lazy.”
Gareth Russell told GB News that William seems to be prioritizing family over work just like his mother did.
“This is where you very much see that William is Diana’s son,” Russell said. “Recently, there has almost been a perception that he is Charles’ son and Harry is Diana’s son. But you know Diana was immensely close with William.
“The danger for [the Waleses] is that even though this is almost certainly motivated by prioritizing their home life, it has enabled their critics to paint them as lazy. That reputation can take quite a bit of time to shirk off at the moment. Because of the difficulties the monarchy has had in the last few years, William and Catherine were very much expected to be the star players and to be the star attraction for positive publicity. If they’re not seen as often, there is a risk that they enable their critics to write the story for them.”
King Charles’ former butler says the Waleses may rival the ‘hardest working royal’ in 2024
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ personal butler and house manager from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for then-Prince Charles, he also looked after Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate as she was William’s girlfriend at the time.
Harrold thinks the monarch is going to pass more duties onto the Prince and Princess of Wales to get them to step out and work more. Therefore, in 2024, the pair may actually “rival” Princess Anne who picks up the most engagements and is considered the “hardest working royal.”
Speaking on behalf of Slingo Harrold said: “We have just had the update of all royal duties and Prince William and the Princess of Wales carried out a lot less duties than the king or Princess Anne … This may be something they are aware of — and why we may have seen William taking on more solo engagements recently — as the pair need to carry out more engagements. We may see William and Kate take on more responsibility next year to keep up with and almost rival William’s aunt, Princess Anne, who carried out 457 in total.”
