William is second-in-line to the throne behind his father, Prince Charles. The nature of a hereditary monarchy means this has been William’s fate since birth ‒ so, by extension, his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge will become Queen consort when he ascends the throne. Charles and Princess Diana made no secret of this to William when he was growing up, meaning his destiny has always been clear to him, but that does not mean it is something he embraces.
In a candid interview with royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, William admitted his role as the future King is “not at the top of my priority list” and that he only considers what he will do with the monarchy “in a quiet moment”.
And in a heartbreaking nod to the love he has for his father and grandmother, he revealed that the implications of his ascension are not lost on him.
He added: “I certainly don’t lie awake at night waiting or hoping for it because it sadly means my family has moved on and I don’t want that.”
However, despite his clear reservations, he did go on to shed light on the importance he sees in his own royal role as the monarchy looks to survive in years to come.
William explained: “I think the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along and it has to stay relevant.
“That’s the challenge for me – how do I make the Royal Family relevant in the next 20 years time?
“It could be 40 years time or 60 years time.”
Still, before the BBC interview in 2016, the Duke of Cambridge was accused of being a “reluctant royal” – particularly in the early days of his relationship with Kate.
While William was at university, royal reporter Robert Jobson claimed: “He doesn’t like being called ‘His Royal Highness’.
“He’s delayed that and calls himself William Wales. He doesn’t want to do royal engagements.”
READ MORE: Philip’s fury at Meghan and Harry’s breakaway as Megxit review axed
The now 38-year-old explained: “As far as I’m concerned, within my family unit, we are a normal family.
“There will be a time and a place to bring George up and understand how he fits in the world but right now it’s just a case of showing a secure stable environment around him.”
Many Britons want Charles to stand aside and allow William to ascend the throne when the Queen passes away.
A YouGov poll recently showed 40 percent of Britons want the Duke of Cambridge to take the throne compared to just 32 percent who back Charles.
Yet, royal commentator Howard Hodgson told Express.co.uk there was no chance that the line of succession would be changed.
Mr Hodgson explained: “People still say maybe Charles should abdicate and William be the next King after the Queen dies.
“If you think that, you don’t understand monarchy at all.”
He pointed out that the famous proclamation, “The King is dead, long live the Queen”, demonstrates how it is a lifelong commitment to reign ‒ and not a duty to just be shirked.
The royal commentator continued: “That’s the only reason they exist.
“If you start retiring, you’re no different from a president.
“You don’t retire ‒ the Queen will never retire, she will die in power.
“So will Prince Charles, so will Prince William, so will Prince George, and so and so forth.”
