The Prince of Wales has said he wants the monarchy to evolve and for him to carry out his duties with a “smaller r in the royal”. Speaking at the end of a major visit to South Africa, where he mixed informal engagements with traditional elements of the monarchy, Prince William said he was trying to do things differently.
While in Cape Town, the prince held talks with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, but also took part in informal events and dressed casually. Asked whether he was trying to approach royal engagements in a new way, he said: “I can only describe what I’m trying to do and that’s trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation. I’m doing it with maybe a smaller r in the royal, if you like.”
Prince William said his approach focused on “impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people”. He added: “I’m also going to throw empathy in there as well, because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people’s lives … and I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.”
The Prince of Wales has long spoken about fighting homelessness, recently starring in a two-part ITV documentary devoted to the subject. Earlier this week he opened up about what had “probably been the hardest year in my life”, having seen his wife and father, King Charles, being treated for cancer.
While in South Africa, he sounded optimistic about possible joint overseas engagements with the Princess of Wales, who was declared cancer-free in September. “I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up,” he said. Catherine attended a Remembrance Day event in London with William on Saturday, in her latest public engagement after cancer treatment.
