Prince William As Future King: Can He Maintain The Monarchy’s Popularity?

Irrefutably, Prince William ticks all the boxes as the most desirable representative of the royal family. The Duke of Cambridge is well aware of his responsibilities as a royal and that he would ascend the throne one day.

Aside from amassing immense popularity, his affable demeanor has won him the hearts of the people of the UK — certainly more than his father, Prince Charles. However, there’s also no refuting that the Duke of Cambridge has often struggled under the pressure that comes with being an heir to the throne.

“I think that William is acutely aware of his place in the pecking order,” said royal expert Camilla Tominey in the 2017 BBC Radio 5 Live podcast series. William stands second in line to becoming the future king after his father, Prince Charles, who will take over upon the Queen’s death.

Unlike the Queen, who was a young monarch when she ascended the throne, Prince William has been advised to join the military before taking on his duties as a royal. “They will just keep doing it as Charles taught them,” said Arthur Edwards, a British photographer.

“Do your duty, and at the same time, he did tell William to finish [his job]. He did have to finish his career early, Prince Charles, to become a member of the Royal Family. He doesn’t want William to do the same,” he added.

During William’s tenure at the British Armed Forces until September 2013 and as an East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot prior to that, it is said that William wanted to be treated as a regular part of the team rather than as a future king and made his reservations clear.

Yet what is interesting to note is that the royal family is enjoying massive popularity in the twenty-first century — more than ever in history. “It’s a very delicate line isn’t it?” said podcast host Natasha Kaplinsky.

“Well, this generation of the Royal Family does seem to be as popular as ever. The total audience for the 21st century royal wedding was 22 million people in the UK,” she added.

With things having gotten a lot flexible than they ever were, it’s clear that the young dukes are changing the rules. “The boys are changing the way things are done.” said Edwards. “They’re very casual in their approach, the way they look, the way they approach things,” he added.

And the obsession with the royals only seems to be getting bigger and better. “There’s no sign of the popularity diminishing — quite the reverse,” said Historian and royal commentator Sarah Gristwood. “There are maybe going to have to be some changes ahead though, because of course we’ve got an ageing Royal Family,” she added.