A chastened prince
William admits he may not be Commonwealth head when he’s king after hard Caribbean tour
PRINCE WILLIAM has admitted he might never succeed Queen Elizabeth as head of the Commonwealth following his trouble-hit visit to the Caribbean.
In an unprecedented end-of-tour statement, the Duke addressed the growing republican sentiment that marred the trip, acknowledging that their visit had ‘brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future’.
His week-long tour with Kate, which came to an end last night, has plagued by public relations gaffes and protests about British colonialism, which led to the couple being branded ‘tone deaf’ to modern sensibilities.
William acknowledged the problems their trip brought into focus, saying that while he was ‘committed to service’, that involved ‘not telling people what to do’.
‘It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have,’ he added.
‘It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world.
‘Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind’.
The statement, which comes against the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth’s growing frailty, and doubts about whether she will be able to attend Prince Philip’s memorial service on Tuesday, will spark speculation that cracks are already appearing in the Commonwealth.
By breaking the monarchy’s ageold ‘never complain, never explain’ mantra, the prince was signalling that the tour had backfired: one heavily-criticised walkabout led to pictures of the couple shaking hands with impoverished children through a fence in Trench Town, Jamaica. Further criticism of the ‘tone deaf’ tour was heaped on the couple when they were seen standing in a Land Rover which had been used by Queen Elizabeth in the 1960s. Royal insiders say the moment ,designed as a homage to Queen Elizabeth, had backfired .
One said: ‘It was a throwback to a bygone era and also impinged on the god-like status of the queen.’
Last night, one senior royal insider indicated that the 39-yearold William was ‘coming of age’.
The insider said: ‘William wanted to acknowledge that not everything on the tour landed on the right
‘He understands it can’t be taken for granted’
way, but the couple are of the generation which learns from mistakes.
‘He was also showing he understands that it can’t be taken for granted that he will lead the Commonwealth – you serve as long as the people want you to serve, you listen, accept their choices and change if you need to’.
The insider added the impetus for the statement had ‘come from KP’ – Kensington Palace – rather than Prince Charles, who was not mentioned.
It is thought that Queen Elizabeth was made aware of yesterday’s statement before it was released.