Prince William is ready to rewrite the royal rule book with his bold plans - analysis by Cameron Walker
Prince William appears ready to rewrite the royal rule book with his bold plans to help solve some of society's biggest problems.
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Prince William appears ready to rewrite the royal rule book with his bold plans to help solve some of society's biggest problems.
Instead of following traditional royal protocols, and using his global fame to point the spotlight at worthy causes, the future King wants to "go a step further" and have a lasting "impact".
Speaking to reporters at the end of his visit to Singapore for the Earthshot Prize awards, the Prince praised the Royal Family's work "spotlighting" causes but said he wanted to do more than just be a patron.
But Prince William's burning ambition to deliver long-term change as he declares "particular social causes...need to be given more support" could be mistaken for a manifesto.
The Prince of Wales will be well aware that his plans to benefit wider society cannot stray into the political sphere.
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The Prince of Wales will be well aware that his plans to benefit wider society cannot stray into the political sphere.
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman's recent X (Twitter) post, suggesting homelessness was a "lifestyle choice", appears to clash with Prince William's vision to support homeless people.
His Royal Highness wants to "help build homes and deliver mental health support, education and employment opportunities".
And this, perhaps, fits in with Prince William's 'Homewards' launch earlier this year - a five-year project to prove homelessness can be eradicated in the UK.
It's understood he is also looking at ways to use Duchy of Cornwall land to house the homeless, but Kensington Palace has not yet announced any plans.
His Royal Highness wants to "help build homes and deliver mental health support, education and employment opportunities".
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Meanwhile, the UK Government's rollback on environmental legislation has done little to quell the climate anxiety among the younger generations - something Prince William hopes to change with his Earthshot Prize, which is finding solutions to repair our planet by 2030.
Could the future King's plans be ruffling feathers inside Downing Street?
The latest YouGov polls suggest Prince William is liked by 69 per cent of the British people, whereas Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is liked by just 18 per cent.
This does suggest Prince William has the necessary star power and public support to drive forward the change he desires, but he'll know how careful he must be.
His father, as Prince of Wales, was sometimes criticised for straying too close to the political line.
In 2021, during the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. the then Prince Charles stated the world needed to be on a "war-like footing" to tackle the "climate crisis".
The so-called 'Black-Spider memos' revealed Prince William's father had also voiced his private opinions to British government ministers, sparking fears he had too much influence over lawmakers.
But it's understood Prince William has already had constructive discussions with lawmakers from different political parties to discuss his homelessness plans.
Prince William has already had constructive discussions with lawmakers from different political parties to discuss his homelessness plans.
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Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, and Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, are both thought to be supportive.
It is unclear if the Prince of Wales' bold new vision will actually have a real impact, but his determination to focus on a small number of core issues and "going deeper and longer" into each of them could be a step in the right direction.
His Royal Highness said: "I want to actually bring change and I want to bring people to the table who can do the change if I can't do it."
Bringing those people to the table to deliver the changes Prince William wants to see could be critical for him because when he is King, his duties as Head of State will take priority.