Prince William’s CEO-Style Monarchy: Strategic Genius or Work-Shy Heir?
Prince William is shaking up the royal playbook.
The future king of England is embracing a management style drawn more from the corporate boardroom than the royal throne room. But his approach – which involves setting boundaries and making time for his family – has raised some eyebrows, with critics branding the Duke of Cambridge as “work shy.”
Prince William isn’t lazy – he’s ‘setting boundaries,’ royal expert claims
Nothing could be further from the truth, claims royal expert Dan Wakeford.
“William is extremely good at setting boundaries and not working during the holidays, protecting his kids’ privacy and his wife’s mental health,” Wakeford recently told Fox News Digital. “There’s some criticism of that. Some critics snipe at that and think that he’s ‘work-shy’ or a little bit lazy. But I think William is working more like a CEO and being very strategic with his time.”
William’s more modern attitude about how to approach his official duties comes as the monarchy is in a clear state of transition. The number of working royals, or the members of the family who carry out duties on behalf of the king, has been trimmed in recent years. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle retired as working royals, while the former Prince Andrew was forced out due to scandal. And William is reportedly keen on thinning the ranks even further when he becomes king.
As the youngest working members of the family, William and Kate Middleton are actually bearing a heavy burden, experts say, especially as they’ve also recently been navigating her health challenges as she recovers from cancer.
William also wants to focus on more long-term and behind-the-scenes initiatives rather than endless meet-and-greets and events, some say.
“Preparing to run the monarchy like a CEO doesn’t mean less work. It means different work. Forget 400 meet-and-greets. We’re getting 10-year projects. We’re talking about big goals, big partnerships and measurable, real outcomes,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard said.
But not everyone is convinced that the monarchy should be optimized like a Fortune 500 company.
“The question needs to be asked: Does Britain want a royal family run like a business?” royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner asked.
The hardest-working royals in 2025
Meanwhile, those who’ve crunched the numbers say there’s clear evidence that William just doesn’t spend as much time doing engagement as his father, King Charles, and his aunt, Princess Anne.
Despite his ongoing cancer treatment, the King had the most official engagements in 2025 at 532, The Mirror reported. Anne had 478 engagements. Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Queen Camilla, and the Duke of Gloucester all had 200+ royal engagements.
William was in seventh place in the ranking of working royal last year, with 202 engagements. Kate, still recovering from cancer, carried out 68 engagements. However, all the working royals saw their workload increase in 2025 from 2024.
For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.
