Prince William's work ethic has come under fire from tabloid newspapers after he was pictured on a ski holiday while other senior royals attended a Commonwealth Day service. Headlines such as 'Throne Idle' and 'Ice work if you can get it' have questioned the future king's dedication to royal duties.
So far in 2017, the Duke of Cambridge has attended royal engagements on 12 days, according to the Court Circular. This includes a trip to south Wales, a gala dinner, and an investiture at Buckingham Palace. However, the record does not account for behind-the-scenes activities or preparation time.
In addition to his royal duties, Prince William works part-time as a helicopter pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service, clocking an average of 20 hours per week. Combined with his royal engagements, he has worked the equivalent of 34 out of 53 possible working days in 2017 so far. He plans to leave his ambulance job in the summer to focus on royal responsibilities.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams described the criticism as 'grossly unfair', noting that the photographs reinforce an unfair perception. Prince William has said he does not ignore such criticism but does not 'take it completely to heart'.
In 2016, Prince William undertook 80 days of royal engagements, well behind Princess Anne's 179 days and Prince Charles's 139 days. As patron of 23 organisations, including Centrepoint, he also engages in private work not classified as royal engagements. The couple is set to visit Paris this week and Germany and Poland in July.
