Compared to the rebellious Prince Harry, Prince William has always seemed like a model son. However, there’s a difference between being a good son and a good future king. And it sounds like the prince is discovering this difference in a very big way as he prepares to assume the throne.
That’s because there are reports that William’s growing power and plans to become a different kind of monarch are driving a wedge between himself and King Charles. Just what has William said, and what can sources close to the family tell us about his changing relationship with Charles? Keep reading to find out!
A history of conflict between King Charles and his son
It’s not that uncommon for King Charles to be locking horns with one of his sons. However, it’s usually Prince Harry who is a royal thorn in his father’s side. And to the King’s chagrin, the entire world has watched their relationship disintegrate as Harry goes all-in on spilling the sea surrounding what goes on behind palace doors.
For example, in Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry claimed that his father had stopped taking his calls and eventually cut him off financially. Things got even frostier between them after Harry and Meghan stepped down from most of their royal responsibilities and moved to America. Their relationship doesn’t seem to have warmed up, either: according to Yahoo!, King Charles neglected to invite Harry and Meghan to Christmas with the family because he is reportedly too exhausted to put up with all the drama they cause.
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William breaks from Charles
Prince William has known all of his life that he is destined to become the King of England. That means he has had decades to figure out how to do the most important job of his life. Now that William is a heartbeat from the throne, he has developed a clearer idea of what kind of King he will be, and it sounds like he wants to do things very differently from his father, essentially modernizing the monarchy for a new generation.
The prince said as much in an interview with The Times. “I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” he said. Explaining further, he claimed he wanted “to give you more of an understanding around it, I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal, if you like. So it’s more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people.”
Honestly, it sounds like an approach most people can easily understand. Unfortunately for Prince William, King Charles isn’t “most people.”
Generational differences divide the Royal Family
Like William, Charles had a lifetime to figure out what kind of King he wanted to be. And he decided to avoid rocking the boat, basically reigning in the same way that Queen Elizabeth did. That meant protecting centuries-long traditions and emphasizing royal etiquette and protocol at all times. It’s a venerable but stuffy approach that William wants to more or less abandon once he sits upon the thrones.
Charles reportedly doesn’t love this approach. One source close to the monarchy confided in Us Weekly that “the dynamics have shifted” between father and son due to Charles’ concerns over William’s plans. That may seem silly because Charles has always known that William would replace him. However, the main issue is that the older man has had to wait a very long time to get to the throne.
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Charles has waited decades to be King
Some people think that Charles should go ahead and step down, paving the way for William to become King. That would make sense because the younger man is much more popular throughout England. And while it might be ghoulish to say, Charles is currently battling cancer, so it might make even more sense for him to step aside and make way for a healthier replacement.
However, there’s a reason that he won’t step aside, and it’s the same reason that he finds William’s ideas so unpalatable. As a source confided to Us Weekly, “Charles has wanted to be the monarch for decades.” Continuing, they said, “Even though he’s battling cancer, he’s not letting that get in the way of his desire to be successful on the throne or a dynamic leader.”
In other words, this is Charles’ time to shine. He is in no hurry to cede power, and he seemingly dislikes William’s proposed new way of doing things because it’s a repudiation of traditions that go back for many centuries. It’s a tale as old as time: the father wants to hold on to the past and the son wants to embrace the future. Only time will tell which approach ends up working the best for the United Kingdom.