How should Prince William spend the next few years?

[karla64]

William's future as King-in-waiting

William to quit Army in 18 months to learn 'art of kingship'

 

[Josefine]

how many years has william left in the military?

what i understand he has never taken part of state visit, what state visit was charles first?

 

[Royal Fan]

William Has until 2009 Dont know what duties he will have though I Think the First Visit was When The POW And Anne visited Nixon in the 70s

 

[karla64]

William set to be our royal at the FO - Times Online

 

[kpusa1981]

William Has until 2009 Dont know what duties he will have though I Think the First Visit was When The POW And Anne visited Nixon in the 70s

He has done some duties. Was the trip to New Zealand a duty?
I know that one part that was sports related but he also lied a wreath the Auckland War Memorial Museum and meant with veterans as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II which marked the end of WWII.

 

[Mary1966]

William set to be our royal at the FO - Times Online

Serving in the Foreign Office as a civil servant strikes me as a more informative job that being in the armed forces. As the article says, everyone knows that William is not going to be a career army officer, so why not have him do something that educates him about how the government works?

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Serving in the Foreign Office as a civil servant strikes me as a more informative job that being in the armed forces. As the article says, everyone knows that William is not going to be a career army officer, so why not have him do something that educates him about how the government works?

I agree, and I would fully applaud any amount of time he spends working in the FO, but at the same time, I think his military training is just as valuable. I see all courses proposed in the Times article as valuable.
1) Military
2) Foreign Office -- they say, starting around 2009
3) Prince's Trust/full-time engagements, perhaps in 2012?
Even though he will leave the military early on in order to do other things.
I think it is not unusual to spend a short time in military service. Prince Charles only stayed for six years, and look at Prince Edward, who didn't even finish training! I think king-training should encompass a wide range of experiences. As the scope of the job of the Monarch is far-reaching, the training should be diverse. I think a little military experience, a little Foreign Office experience learning about diplomatic service, and then perhaps, as the Times' Christopher Morgan suggests, taking over the Prince's Trust will all give him valuable knowledge.
If these things are true, especially what he allegedly says about wanting structured training, it says a lot about PW's maturity. Structure is the key to success in all things.

 

[HRH Kimetha]

I Think its an awsome Idea

I do to think it's an awesome idea as it does put him in a position of continuing to applying himself to duty and country. It also gives him more purpose of being as he waits out for Kingship duty.

 

[Henri M.]

One step too much

Prince William of Wales 's future at first is to become Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, etc. and eventually to be created as The Prince of Wales.

Only then we can label him as king-in-waiting. For the moment he still is heir-in-waiting.

 

[Royal Fan]

So whats on the Agenda Military wise FO wise and Ect until he becomes Duke of Cornwall give me a rundown of you think will Happen in the next 25 Years

 

[Henri M.]

So whats on the Agenda Military wise FO wise and Ect until he becomes Duke of Cornwall give me a rundown of you think will Happen in the next 25 Years

My guess:

HRH Prince William will finish his military training.

HRH Prince William will make a special program in which he will be introduced to all the armed forces (army, navy, air force, constabulary).

HRH Prince William will start with public events and become a regular item in the Court Circular.

HRH Prince William becomes HRH The Prince William, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and eventually also The Prince of Wales. My guess is that the Prince will not have to wait too long for his creation as The Prince of Wales.

HRH The Prince of Wales will take up his responsibilities for the management of the Duchy of Cornwall and also build his own Household, most likely by changes in the Household left by his predecessor.

HRH The Prince of Wales will, as Heir Apparent, take considerably more public duties and also give acte de presence on State Visits and royal events at home and abroad.

In between all this HRH The Prince of Wales will probably marry.

And finally HRH The Prince of Wales will succeed his father as King.

 

[BeatrixFan]

My guess;

HRH Prince William will finish his military training.

HRH Prince William will take on more sports charities and will take on patronages his mother held in the vain attempt to leech off of her popularity.

HRH Prince William will start with public events and become a regular item in the Court Circular.

HRH Prince William will get married, probably to Kate Middleton.

HRH Prince William will succeed Charles as Prince of Wales etc and do all the things his father has done.

HRH Prince William will face mass modernisation and a referendum after he becomes King. We will become a republic and he will eek out a living as HM King William V with HM Queen Katherine. And good riddance.

 

[Henri M.]

We will become a republic and he will eek out a living as HM King William V with HM Queen Katherine. And good riddance.

You mean ex-King William V and ex-Queen Katherine, probably living abroad in France or Germany?

 

[BeatrixFan]

Furthur hopefully

 

[selrahc4]

You mean ex-King William V and ex-Queen Katherine, probably living abroad in France or Germany?

Perhaps in the Republic of Scotland at their home, Balmoral.

 

[BeatrixFan]

You have to be joking. When Republic comes, we're having Balmoral.

 

[Royal Fan]

I Hope a Rebuplic never comes

 

[sirhon11234]

Can one really imagine Great Britain as a republic?

 

[Elspeth]

I'm sure Tony Blair can.

 

[cde]

I suspect that is the EU eventual goal.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

My guess;
HRH Prince William will take on more sports charities and will take on patronages his mother held in the vain attempt to leech off of her popularity.

He is also set to take on more of Prince Philip's causes, apparently. He has taken on patronage of the Football Assoc. Didn't Prince Philip once have that one? He is patron of Tusk Trust, a conservation charity (conservation is Prince Philip's big thing). Also, he will be Ranger of Windsor after Prince Philip retires from that position.

I can't see Britain being a republic. I can see a lot of changes taking place and the monarchy becoming smaller in scale with (even) less powers, but it brings too much morale and spirit to the nation. Think how happy a royal visit makes a town, and what a positive influence the royals have in so many areas. Royalty is good for many reasons. Maybe you don't like Prince William, but it's still not a reason to want to be rid of the whole system. For one thing, by the time PW becomes king, he will be over 50 because I am sure that the Queen will live to be 100, at least. She has no health problems worth mentioning. She hasn't even had any major operations. Her genetics is her strongest claim on a long life yet. So by the time Wills becomes king, he'll be so damn old, and his kid will become a child king probably, and there will be a regent or something.

 

[Henri M.]

He is also set to take on more of Prince Philip's causes, apparently. He has taken on patronage of the Football Assoc. Didn't Prince Philip once have that one? He is patron of Tusk Trust, a conservation charity (conservation is Prince Philip's big thing). Also, he will be Ranger of Windsor after Prince Philip retires from that position.

I can't see Britain being a republic. I can see a lot of changes taking place and the monarchy becoming smaller in scale with (even) less powers, but it brings too much morale and spirit to the nation. Think how happy a royal visit makes a town, and what a positive influence the royals have in so many areas. Royalty is good for many reasons. Maybe you don't like Prince William, but it's still not a reason to want to be rid of the whole system. For one thing, by the time PW becomes king, he will be over 50 because I am sure that the Queen will live to be 100, at least. She has no health problems worth mentioning. She hasn't even had any major operations. Her genetics is her strongest claim on a long life yet. So by the time Wills becomes king, he'll be so damn old, and his kid will become a child king probably, and there will be a regent or something.

Of course I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life in good health and spirit. But I disagree with the often expressed idea that her age has no grip on her and that she has the eternal life. Her spouse, the Duke of Edinburgh, looks awfully frail. In a short time span suddenly the Duke has aged enormously. You often see that a couple, so long intertwined, remarkably soon leave this world when one of them has died.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands died in March 2004 and her spouse Prince Bernhard, who has witnessed her coffin to be brought downstairs into the royal vaults, followed her in the same year. Their marriage lasted from 1936 to 2004 (68 years) and it was like the Queen's death did suck away the Prince's own desire for life.

Once again, I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life, but things can go quicker than expected.

 

[muriel]

The strength of the monarchy lies in its ability to adapt and change in line with the prevailing times - and hence, I think we still have some time to run before we have a republic in the UK. I think Charles and William will both continue to modernise the monarchy, and to demsontrate that they are "good value"

 

[Jo of Palatine]

I suspect that is the EU eventual goal.

The European Union is not interested in the way the member states are run and who heads them as long as they are democracies, protect human rights and accept that on certain fields the union has the guiding authority.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Of course I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life in good health and spirit. But I disagree with the often expressed idea that her age has no grip on her and that she has the eternal life. Her spouse, the Duke of Edinburgh, looks awfully frail. In a short time span suddenly the Duke has aged enormously. You often see that a couple, so long intertwined, remarkably soon leave this world when one of them has died.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands died in March 2004 and her spouse Prince Bernhard, who has witnessed her coffin to be brought downstairs into the royal vaults, followed her in the same year. Their marriage lasted from 1936 to 2004 (68 years) and it was like the Queen's death did suck away the Prince's own desire for life.

Once again, I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life, but things can go quicker than expected.

But there is still Charles - it's quite probably that his healthy lifestyle and the love of his wife will help him to become enormously old himself.

 

[BeatrixFan]

I suspect that is the EU eventual goal.

As Jo said, the EU is nothing to do with it. The Netherlands is a member of the EU and is in the Euro zone yet the monarchy remains untouched and Queen Beatrix has spoken at least once to my knowledge to the Council of Europe so I don't think the EU has any plans to scrap monarchies just as it has no plans to scrap any presidencies.

Also, he will be Ranger of Windsor after Prince Philip retires from that position.

Oh that useful position of glorified park keeper. How important that will be for the country. We can all rest assured that whilst we battle the rise of the right, terrorism and poverty we will always have the Ranger of Windsor.

For one thing, by the time PW becomes king, he will be over 50 because I am sure that the Queen will live to be 100, at least. She has no health problems worth mentioning. She hasn't even had any major operations. Her genetics is her strongest claim on a long life yet.

I think what people seem to forget is that the Queen Mother hardly had the same lifestyle as the Queen had. For one thing the Queen isn't being preserved by several vats of Gordon's Gin and for another thing, the Queen Mother did very little. As much as I adored her, she didn't say anything after 1946. She turned up in a golf buggy, waved and went home again. The Queen has to do alot more and it's alot more stressful. And how anyone could suggest a 100 year old can be an effective Head of State is beyond me. It's just too much. My grandmother can't remember where she put her spectacles at 78, let alone rule a country. If people want the Queen to live on and on and on just to spite Charles I think that's extremely unfair on the Queen.

Can one really imagine Great Britain as a republic?

Oh I can. I'm down to be President on Gordon's day off. Britain could survive as a Republic or at least England could. We're not really that united with Scotland and Wales anymore.

I'm sure Tony Blair can.

Surely you mean Gordon Brown?

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Of course I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life in good health and spirit. But I disagree with the often expressed idea that her age has no grip on her and that she has the eternal life. Her spouse, the Duke of Edinburgh, looks awfully frail. In a short time span suddenly the Duke has aged enormously. You often see that a couple, so long intertwined, remarkably soon leave this world when one of them has died.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands died in March 2004 and her spouse Prince Bernhard, who has witnessed her coffin to be brought downstairs into the royal vaults, followed her in the same year. Their marriage lasted from 1936 to 2004 (68 years) and it was like the Queen's death did suck away the Prince's own desire for life.

Once again, I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life, but things can go quicker than expected.

But has she had any operations, any reported medical problems? The Queen Mother had much more problems, and lived to be 102, and Princess Margaret had multiple problems (struggle with cancer for a time, to name just one of many, and she drank heavily, apparently, and smoked). The Queen still rides every week, and doesn't smoke or drink, and she hasn't had any problems, or any reported, and I don't see how things could be kept secret as much as she is in the public eye!

 

[Duchess]

Of course I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life in good health and spirit. But I disagree with the often expressed idea that her age has no grip on her and that she has the eternal life. Her spouse, the Duke of Edinburgh, looks awfully frail. In a short time span suddenly the Duke has aged enormously. You often see that a couple, so long intertwined, remarkably soon leave this world when one of them has died.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands died in March 2004 and her spouse Prince Bernhard, who has witnessed her coffin to be brought downstairs into the royal vaults, followed her in the same year. Their marriage lasted from 1936 to 2004 (68 years) and it was like the Queen's death did suck away the Prince's own desire for life.

Once again, I wish Her Brittanic Majesty a long life, but things can go quicker than expected.

you need only look to HM's mother. she lived for 50 or so years after the death of her husband and they were very close. the queen mother's longevity would be a very good indication of HM's life expectancy.

 

[BeatrixFan]

The Queen still rides every week, and doesn't smoke or drink, and she hasn't had any problems, or any reported, and I don't see how things could be kept secret as much as she is in the public eye!

She's also a Head of State which her mother wasn't.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

She's also a Head of State which her mother wasn't.

True, but the fact that HM is now 81 and has not had any health problems worth noting, not a single hospital in-patient stay, and the appearance of her in the past several years.... I can't speak for everyone, but my personal opinion is that HM looks vibrant, healthy, and sturdy.
I will concede to Henri that the Duke does, indeed, look very haggard of late, but that is the Duke, not HM. I hate the thought of either of them dying, really hate it. It makes me ill to think about it now, especially Prince Philip, because I have always had so much admiration for him.
I will also concede that my earlier estimate of 30 years before Prince Charles succeeds to the Throne was too high. Even the argument that she has her mother's longevity gives her just over 20 years.
Now, with all that said, for God's sake, Long love/live the Queen! (and the Duke too!)