How Prince William Silenced “Work-Shy” Criticisms and Fixed His “Reputation” as the Future King

Following his father’s cancer diagnosis, Prince William took on greater responsibilities within the Royal Family. Throughout 2024, Prince William stepped in for King Charles at numerous events, which led many experts to suggest the Prince of Wales was preparing for his future role as king. And according to a new article, William has been working diligently to improve his reputation in recent months.

A new profile in The New York Times explores King Charles and Prince William’s roles within the Royal Family. Notably, royal experts have suggested that the Prince of Wales has attempted to make some meaningful changes as the future king, although he’s not necessarily ready for the job.

“William has sometimes been seen as work-shy, but we see him gravitating toward bigger, more media-friendly events,” historian Ed Owens told the publication. “He’s burnishing his reputation as a statesman.”  The outlet further reported, “William has put much of his energy into a program to tackle homelessness in six cities across Britain and Northern Ireland. Like his father, he continues to be active on climate change.”

However, the report also suggested that William is far from ready to become king. “The job that William does not want, at least for now, is his father’s,” the outlet explained. “But fears over The King’s health have made talk of succession inescapable.”  Alongside wife Kate Middleton, Prince William has also been helping prepare their son, Prince George, to become heir to the throne. In spite of George’s important future role, William and Kate are reportedly trying to give their children normal childhoods.

During the Channel 5 documentary Prince George: How To Make a Monarch, psychotherapist Lucy Beresford said (via the Mirror), “I think William and Kate, making sure that George, Charlotte, and Louis have these normalizing experiences where they just interact with really normal people, actually gives them that grounded sense that they are human beings like the rest of us, they’re not rarefied, they’re not elevated, and it could hopefully dilute that sense of ‘I’m invincible.'”