Work-shy William has to make a royal choice
WHEN Princess Diana was interviewed by Martin Bashir for that Panorama programme 21 years ago, she said she thought Prince Charles would never be king.
Two years later, Diana died, and the nation’s heart hardened further against her former husband.
The only hope for the Royal Family, many people whispered, was for the Crown to skip a generation and for Prince William to become its saviour.
Fast forward two decades and the world looks very different. Prince Charles and Camilla have gently won their way back into the public’s affection. Prince William, meanwhile, has proved to be the most reluctant — and truculent — of royals.
Having lost his mother at such a young age and been at the centre of what was then a royal circus, he has understandably gone to great lengths to protect his young family.
So much so that he took at least four weeks off at Christmas, much to the dismay of his colleagues at the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
‘It’s supposed to be four days on and four days off,’ one colleague said. ‘But with the Duke it’s more off than on.’
This can hardly be down to his royal duties. Last year, he attended just 87 official functions in the UK, compared to his 94- year- old grandfather Prince Philip’s 217 and the Queen’s 306.
Even William’s friends are questioning whether he really wants to become king or if he would prefer to live the quiet life of a wealthy landed gentleman. This, after all, is a man who is happy to lecture us on saving endangered rhinos one day, then set off to hunt wild boar and partridge the next.
Friends say he prefers posh weekend house parties and country shoots to tedious duties such as attending the Bafta awards evening.
Despite being the organisation’s president, he declined to attend the ceremony, which took place last weekend, for the second year running.
One can understand why a young man robbed of his mother would want a normal life, but William has a choice to make: he can either be the future king and start meeting the demands of his royal responsibilities or he can give up his right to the throne, along with those of his children.
If he wants, he can certainly choose a ‘normal’ existence.
Putting the love of a woman and a life of self- indulgence before your royal duties is always an option — as Edward VIII demonstrated.
But there is another path — the one chosen by his father, who, through diligence, dedication and hard work, proved himself more than fit to take the throne when the Queen sadly leaves us.
It’s time to make up your mind, William. And sooner rather than later.