Prince William ‘has a lot of catching up to do’ to woo the Welsh people

It’s been almost a month since King Charles’s coronation and we still haven’t gotten any confirmed news about Prince William’s investiture as the Prince of Wales. William is actually on holiday right now – his kids have a school break, so William and Kate are in the wind, not doing a f–king thing and absolutely not planning for any investiture. Before the coronation, there was some reporting about how Charles and William had significant disagreements about what the ceremony should be or if William should even have one. Post-coronation, it sounded like William was simply refusing any kind of investiture and there are zero plans in place. This goes alongside William and Kate’s refusal to learn Welsh and their refusal to do much of anything in or for Wales. William couldn’t even be bothered to support a Welsh national team. So, obviously, now a royal biographer is talking openly about how the new Prince of Wales needs to get his ass in gear.

Prince William has some “catching up to do” as Prince of Wales and could be about to launch a “supercharge” to woo the Welsh, according to a royal biographer. Huw Thomas, a BBC journalist who has written a book about the King’s relationship with Wales, told an audience at the Hay Festival that Charles had been the most attentive Prince of Wales in history and that William was lagging behind.

“He’s got a lot of catching up to do in terms of the public perception of him as a Prince of Wales,” Thomas said. “The impression I get as well is that, after the coronation, there’s going to be a bit of a supercharge on the relationship of William with Wales. We’ll see what comes.”

It is not clear what form any charm offensive by William would take, with a formal ceremonial being unlikely. An investiture as Prince of Wales, akin to the one the King took part in, has not been planned. Before that ceremony in 1969, Charles immersed himself in Welsh culture and language, developing a connection that persists to this day. In comparison to the King, William has done little extracurricular work before his new role, although supporters point to the fact that he lived in Anglesey during his period as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot.

The bestowal of the title on William in September prompted discontent among some Welsh people. A focal point for this was the match between England and Wales at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar last year, which was a tricky moment of divided loyalties as William had previously been a passionate supporter of England. He was criticised by Michael Sheen, the Welsh actor, for sending a message of support to the England football team.

Thomas, whose book is entitled Charles: The King and Wales, said that William was already starting to adapt to his new role and was trying to fashion the office of Prince of Wales in his own image.

“Maybe now there’s a focus on mental health initiatives or outdoors,” Thomas said. “It’s a bit more targeted to make sure William is seen to be doing stuff that suits William.”

Thomas said that the King was not an easy act to follow as Prince of Wales as he had brought such a high level of dedication and interest to the role. “Certainly, up until Charles, there wasn’t a Prince of Wales that paid anywhere near the attention that he has paid to understanding Wales and Welshness,” Thomas said.

[From The Times]

I agree that while the Welsh people didn’t really believe that Charles should carry the Tywysog Cymru title, Welsh people respected the fact that Charles treated them with respect, learned Welsh and did a lot of outreach within Wales. When it came down to it, the Welsh people overwhelmingly believed that Charles should simply be the last Prince of Wales. Perhaps they’ve gotten their wish, because William is going to do f–k all with the title, he has no interest in an investiture and he barely wants to spend any time in Wales at all. This cracked me up: “It’s a bit more targeted to make sure William is seen to be doing stuff that suits William.” It’s an open secret that William is an utter intellectual and diplomatic lightweight who can’t be bothered to learn new things or show respect to diverse cultures within the UK. No, Peg just has to do stuff that suits Peg.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.