Prince William’s ‘got a lot of catching up to do’ as Prince of Wales: expert
Welshing on his duties?
Prince William, 40, is lagging behind his father when it comes to serving as Prince of Wales, according to royal expert Sir Huw Thomas.
Thomas, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s personal physician, claimed during a recent speaking engagement that King Charles III, 74, was the “most attentive” Prince of Wales “in history.”
“[William’s] got a lot of catching up to do in terms of the public perception of him as a Prince of Wales,” Thomas said Tuesday at the Hay Festival in Powys, Wales, per GB News.
He continued, “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.”
The Post reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment.
Upon the queen’s death in September at the age of 96, William became the Prince of Wales, and Charles the King of England.
The monarch was officially crowned May 6 at Westminster Abbey in a grand ceremony that was one for the history books.
It marked the official transfer of power to King Charles following the 70-year reign of his mother.
At Tuesday’s event, Thomas explained Charles deeply cared about Wales when the monarch had the Prince of Wales role.
While on a trip to Japan many years ago, Charles convinced a Sony executive to open a factory in Wales, according to Thomas, who recently published “Charles: The King and Wales.”
“Charles said to this guy, ‘If you’re going to open a factory to make TVs in Europe, come and open it in my country, Wales.’ That sentence is something which has passed down Sony folklore,” Thomas recalled.
“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.”
Charles also spent a period learning about Welsh culture and language at Aberystwyth University, GB News reported.
Thomas did note that William, who lived in Wales when he served in the Royal Air Force, is starting to adapt to his new role in the royal family.
“Maybe now there’s a focus on mental health initiatives or outdoors,” Thomas reasoned. “It’s a bit more targeted to make sure William is seen to be doing stuff that suits William.”
He shared that William has made a number of trips to Wales since becoming prince of the country.
William and his wife, Kate Middleton, visited Anglesey and Swansea just a few weeks after Queen Elizabeth’s death, according to People.
It marked their first visit as the new prince and princess of the country.
Thomas pointed out the couple also recently visited Aberfan, the site of a 1966 mining disaster.
Thomas’ remarks follow a report last month that claimed Middleton, 41, stole the spotlight from her father-in-law when they visited the Chelsea Flower Show in May.
Some royal experts became “alarmed” after it seemed like Middleton’s surprise appearance overshadowed the king and queen’s stop there, according to the Daily Mail.
“It’s a shame that his visit with [Queen Camilla] received less coverage than it might have expected to,” one insider told the outlet. “I hope they are not too disappointed.”
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