Prince William turned 41 years old on Wednesday with little fanfare. William and his wife tend to tell rather than show, and they like to use their birthdays to explain how the coming year in their lives will be much different, that they have big plans, that they are amazing people who are perfect in every way. That didn’t happen this year on Kate’s birthday – we were spared the birthday keenery because Prince Harry released Spare that week. I wondered if we get something, anything from William – well, it looks like Peg got his office to brief Katie Nicholl for a Vanity Fair exclusive. Some highlights:
No big birthday plans: While there is no big birthday celebration planned – sources close to William say there will be a low-key birthday tea at the family’s home in Windsor — the next year promises to be anything but quiet for the royal.
William’s adjustment: According to those close to him, the prince has adjusted “exceptionally well” to his new role as Prince of Wales, comfortably stepping into his father’s shoes whilst eager to map out his own agenda. His conservation initiative, The Earthshot Prize, has so far been a great success and last weekend plans for a new five-year plan to tackle homelessness in Britain were revealed.
He’ll spend more time in Wales now that he’s PoW: William is also looking forward to spending more time in Wales, according to those close to him, as he is keen to forge an even closer connection with the country. The couple… plan to visit Wales frequently. According to one palace source, the prince is keen to forge a close relationship with the country, pointing out: “The prince has focused on Wales since becoming Prince of Wales. Expect to see regular visits as he and the princess are keen to visit more regularly.”
His home life is very settled: “There’s a sense that right now his life is both settled but about to take an exciting turn,” said a family friend. “His 41st year will mark his first full year as Prince of Wales and he’s already laying down the markers for what that will look like. His home life is very established and settled. He and Catherine really feel they have the balance just right between their public roles and being a family unit. They love living a less visible life in Windsor, and after a pretty momentous year William is looking forward to putting the drama of the past behind him and new beginnings.”
How William feels about Harry: “There’s relief that the drama is over and done with and now he and Catherine can get on with their lives doing what they are passionate about without any distractions,” added the family friend.
His keenery: His new [homelessness] venture will be launched in conjunction with the Royal Foundation, his and Kate’s charitable forum. William who has inherited the Duchy of Cornwall land also said he plans to allow social housing to be built on parts of the royal estate for the first time. This coupled with his continued work around mental health awareness and the Earthshot Prize will form the cornerstones of his work as Prince of Wales along with supporting his father at home and overseas. It is expected that William and Kate will carry out an overseas tour later this year although Kensington Palace has yet to announce plans.
[From Vanity Fair]
Oh, an overseas tour? Probably the trip to Singapore for Earthshot, I would imagine. They’ll tack on another country and they’ll go scuba diving and day-drinking and call it a “royal tour.” Their trip to Boston last year was supposed to be a royal tour, sort of, only it was a flop, just like their Caribbean tour last year too. As for visiting Wales… these royal sources keep emphasizing that it’s only NOW that William is committed to spending time in Wales, now that he’s Prince of Wales. Like, did he not expect to inherit the title or something? He was literally waiting to be PoW for forty years, he didn’t think to start building up relationships within Wales before now?
“His home life is very established and settled. He and Catherine really feel they have the balance just right between their public roles and being a family unit.” I kind of believe this, in that William has found a situation which works for him: Kate takes care of the kids, he visits and gets them some weekends, and he has ample time and privacy to get up to God knows what. He gets to keep his image as a devoted family man and he gets to trim rose bushes whenever he wants.
As for the “relief” that the Sussex “distraction” is “over and done with” – yeah, William is the one who has openly briefed the press for years about his incandescent rage over every little thing the Sussexes do. Let’s see if William can even go one full month without some “source close to William” rage-shrieking about Harry.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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