In 2024, Prince William will take strides to secure his working legacy just as his father, King Charles III, did before his accession to the throne, Newsweek's chief royal correspondent told a British morning TV show.
William's elevated role within the monarchy as Prince of Wales and head of the $1-billion property empire, the Duchy of Cornwall, since his father took to the throne leaves him in a position to effect change in a way that will be curtailed when he himself becomes king.
Traditionally heirs to the throne are allowed a freedom to voice opinion and engage in societal discourse in a way that a constitutional monarch cannot. While William may have over a decade before he becomes king, this leaves the prince with a dramatically reduced period than the nearly five decades utilized by his father, to secure his legacy.
Speaking to Sky News anchor, Kay Burley, on Wednesday, Newsweek's Jack Royston assessed that 2024 will see William push to achieve his legacy with large-scale projects instead of taking part in traditional royal engagements.
"William is on a big drive to try and find his legacy," he said. "He knows now that he has a finite window in which to really cement his royal working life. So, Charles had the Prince's Trust. He has his campaigning on climate, and William knows he needs to land a legacy. in a number of years before he obviously at some point in the future becomes king."
During his years as Prince of Wales, Charles was widely celebrated for his charity achievements, with the Prince's Trust and foundation supporting young people and communities around Britain.
William has also launched social projects, though yet not on the same scale as his father's. In 2020, the prince founded the Earthshot Prize environmental scheme which identifies, funds and upscales initiatives seeking to repair, protect and preserve the planet.
The prize's fourth annual awards ceremony will take place in 2024, hosted each year in a different global environmental hub. The location for the next ceremony has not yet been announced.
In addition to Earthshot, William also launched his ambitious Homewards project in 2023. This scheme seeks to provide a working model and funding to alleviate and eventually end homelessness that can be put into action throughout Britain.
Of the prince's core causes, homelessness and the environment appear to be the areas he is seeking to carve his niche and create the biggest change.
"I think he's on a big drive," Royston said of the prince. "We're going to see energy behind big projects from William, less so the kind of unveiling of plaques and the kind of, you know, or more ordinary royal jobs. I think both William and Kate [Middleton], we're going to see them on a mission to try to land a single big project."
Newsweek has approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
