The British Royal Family faced enormous scrutiny at the beginning of the year, as revelation after revelation about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor unravelled. The responsible parties—aside from ex-Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein himself—appeared to be within the Royal Family for their lack of action and enablement. While the King eventually played the ultimate card and removed his brother’s public role, titles, house, and almost everything else, many questioned what took so long.
The unfortunate consequence of pandering to the ex-Prince Andrew is that it reflects poorly on those in charge—namely, the late Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, who were seen to be “in charge” when Andrew was taking advantage of the institution. Prince William, who was known to be furious with his uncle and insisted on a harsher response to Andrew’s actions, knows that this could affect his future, too.
Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, feels that Prince William is “cleaner than the others” in the ongoing Andrew Situation. “The tension is that he wants a clean stable when he moves into the role of King,” Lownie told The iPaper. Prince William wants to go into the role of monarch with his head held high, and his morals intact. Luckily, he has the best person for the job by his side.
“William also has Kate who is a really tough one, and behind that smiling exterior she’s like the steely Queen Mum,” Lownie said. “Kate gets how it all works, and I’m always struck that it is often the outsiders who better understand the institution rather than those who are born to it.” Princess Kate provides a welcome outsiders perspective, free from emotional ties or any ideas of ‘this is how it's always been done.’
“Kate helps William see the reputational damage,” Lownie explains. While maintaining family relationships can be important, looking at the larger picture and the impact on public image is imperative to the longevity of the monarchy. Lownie feels that Prince William “is much tougher than his father or any other royal relatives” when it comes to emotions clouding judgement. “The couple is much better at reading the room,” Lownie wrote.
With Princess Kate’s level-headedness, from years of work on her mental health and fortitude, her grounded upbringing, and her outsider’s perspective, Prince William has the perfect partner to continue the monarchy into the next generation.
