It might take a while before hearing the title Prince of Wales doesn’t immediately conjure an image of King Charles. After all, he held the title for a record-breaking 64 years (from 1958 to 2022), and achieved so much on the global stage, not only for himself as a statesman, but for Wales and its people.
But as of 9 September, William is the Prince of Wales. To say he has huge shoes to fill is an understatement, but if his first four months as heir to the throne is any indication, William will also leave behind an indelible legacy.
Almost immediately after being named Prince of Wales, William contacted the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, to talk about his grandmother’s strong connection to Wales and how he plans to serve the country and its people as he serves his father.
Kensington Palace shared a readout of the call, noting that William “expressed his and the Princess of Wales’ honour in being asked by His Majesty The King to serve the Welsh people. They will do so with humility and great respect.”
It continued: “The prince acknowledged his and the princess’ deep affection for Wales… [and] will spend the months and years ahead deepening their relationship with communities across Wales. They want to do their part to support the aspirations of the Welsh people and to shine a spotlight on both the challenges and opportunities in front of them. The prince and princess look forward to celebrating Wales’ proud history and traditions as well as a future that is full of promise. They will seek to live up to the proud contribution that members of the royal family have made in years past. TRHs look forward to travelling to Wales very soon, and to meeting the First Minister and other leaders at the earliest opportunity.”
With the news of William’s new title came the immediate announcement that, unlike his father, there would be no investiture ceremony. William—and by extension, Catherine—have plans to skip the formality and to hit the ground running supporting Wales and the Welsh people.
(The Prince and Princess of Wales/ Instagram)
William’s chief focus continues to be the environment. In fact, prior to Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September, he’d been due to visit New York City to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly for the first ever Earthshot Innovation Summit, where he would give a speech extolling the importance of finding solutions to climate issues and supporting the people and companies at the forefront of the fight. Instead, he appeared via video to open the Innovation Summit and praised his grandmother’s dedication to environmental causes.
The Earthshot Prize was held in Boston this autumn, marking William’s first visit abroad since becoming Prince of Wales. And, as a statesman, that meant a visit with US President Joe Biden, who’d re-arranged his schedule to meet the future king.
As the first-in-line to the throne, William played a central role in mourning Queen Elizabeth II and ensuring King Charles III’s accession went smoothly. He visited mourners at Windsor and Sandringham; thanked Commonwealth soldiers flown in for the task of participating in his grandmother’s state funeral; and thanked volunteers who’d helped organise the mourning period.
But throughout his royal duties in the four months since his title change, William made sure to centre his grandmother. The duty of modernising the Royal Family will fall to William and Catherine more than ever, but, where it counts, William made sure to pay tribute to the beloved matriarch who’d influenced him in so many ways.
And, of course, William continued to support football—for better or worse—because some things will never change.
