These last few months have not been a simple time for Prince William. Now, insiders are laying out just how much pressure and tension he’s feeling as he grapples with the responsibility of royal duties amid dual cancer diagnoses for his loved ones.
Of course, as we’ve been reporting, his wife Princess Catherine recently revealed her cancer diagnosis publicly after weeks of speculation about her health. That followed on the heels of a separate cancer diagnosis for William’s father, King Charles III. His Majesty cut down his public schedule to give himself time to recover. And in turn, Kate Middleton has begun a challenging ordeal with preventative chemotherapy.
Simultaneously, William has been called into action for triple duty in public events on behalf of the royal family. Couple all that with the 41-year-old’s ongoing duties as a dad to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, and it’s been a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
Related: Could Harry And Catherine Make Amends Without Involving William — Or Meghan?!
On Wednesday morning, Us Weekly dropped a lengthy new report quoting several royal experts by name and citing several other anonymous sources. All these insiders more or less agreed on the same thing: Prince William is under an immense amount of pressure both with his royal duties and on the home front. Speaking about everything Will has on his plate, one anonymous source pointed out:
“It’s been stressful.”
No kidding. That insider then continued:
“William feels a profound sense of duty to uphold the monarchy’s stability and inspire confidence in the public that everything will be OK. It’s an immense responsibility.”
It’s not just that William has been thrown into the mix more in recent months — it’s been building for years! Yes, it’s true the dual cancer diagnoses have been unbearably difficult after coming in quick succession most recently. But before that, the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from the royal lineup left a major void, too. And then there’s Charles’ brother Prince Andrew and his unsettling fall from grace, to boot. So many royals out of the lineup in a few short years. Royal historian Gareth Russell explained:
“It was always anticipated that Charles would have three working siblings and two working children and their wives, and that would be a sustainable footing.”
But things didn’t go to plan. As Russell quickly added, William is out there on his own all of a sudden:
“Now you have the king and the Princess of Wales battling cancer at the same time, and while it’s no one’s fault, it does show the cracks.”
The biggest (at least, the most recent) crack of them all, to co-opt Russell’s term, would undoubtedly have to be the media firestorm around Kate’s health. That first anonymous source explained to the mag that the 42-year-old had intended to reveal her condition all along — when the time was right. But media attention grew so quickly and so intensely that it forced the palace’s hand prematurely:
“Kate had planned to talk about it. She and William were hoping people would respect her privacy until she felt comfortable enough to discuss it.”
Unfortunately the palace instead ended up putting out mixed signals that had folks concerned for Kate’s well-being. That led quickly to speculation and conspiracy theories, so out of control Her Highness had no choice but to come forward!
Now, William is in a tough and lonely position out in the public all alone, royal biographer Tessa Dunlop claims. She told Us memories of his mom Princess Diana‘s premature death weigh heavily upon Will as he navigates challenges related to the health statuses of both his wife and father:
“He’s got young children, a sick wife and a sick dad, and memories of losing his mom early. There’s a lot at stake, and he does need support.”
The first source is optimistic that William can right the ship and settle the palace, though. They pointed out about the former air ambulance pilot’s recent actions:
“After William’s dad and Kate’s diagnoses, he shut down for a couple of days. He canceled all meetings and spent time with Kate. Then he picked himself back up again because he knew it was up to him to be strong for the whole family.”
And during private time at the family’s Adelaide Cottage home, William has apparently stepped up to offer a strong sense of stability for the kids — and for Kate, too:
“He helps the kids with homework and reads to them at night — little things to make life more normal for them. Behind the scenes, they’re in solidarity. William’s been there for Kate in every way.”
That’s certainly nice to hear. In the meantime, it sounds like The Firm is pulling back a bit regarding what they ask of William while he navigates this tricky new normal. A second anonymous source explained:
“Around the palace, he looks tense. He clearly has a lot on his mind. The palace is backing off and giving him space.”
Honestly, that’s probably the best course of action at this point. None of this is easy. It boggles the mind to think of William considering his father’s mortality and his wife’s, too — at the same time. And with three little kids at home, no less! And with the ongoing estrangement issue he’s fighting through with his little brother. Oof. Like we said, it’s a lot. Thoughts, y’all?
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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