The Prince and Princess of Wales’s approach to ruling will be “incredibly forward-looking,” royals journalist Russell Myers tells Vanity Fair.
“What many people don’t realize, even for those of us who follow the royals closely, is what an integral part of the institution Catherine is,” royal journalist Russell Myers recently told Vanity Fair.
For his new book, William & Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, Myers spoke to dozens in William and Catherine’s close circle, to explore how the couple juggles their private lives with their very public roles. “I found it fascinating just how much William relies on . Both professionally, personally and emotionally. Many friends told me how they had witnessed Catherine arguably being the stronger of the two when she was dealt her cancer diagnosis. William felt it incredibly disorientating, his father had been diagnosed with cancer just a few days before, he felt as though he had been hit by a bus. His mind was filled with doubt about his father’s condition, then, his wife’s, and of course, how they would break the news to their three young children. While it was of course incredibly upsetting and shocking for Catherine, she was able to take a step back and assess the situation clearly, releasing that they would both need to step back for a time from royal duties and be together as a family. That partnership is integral to who they are as people,” Myers said. In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Myers discusses how William and Catherine will approach their eventual roles as king and queen, and Catherine’s position as the quiet power behind the throne. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Vanity Fair: Prince William and Princess Kate are an incredibly private couple. How did you manage to penetrate their inner circle? Russell Myers: Over the last few years, we have heard a lot about the relationships between members of the royal family, mainly from those who have left the institution and feel they are able to speak more freely. Not only had it been over a decade since a joint biography of the Prince and Princess of Wales was published, but throughout my research, I found that many people in William and Catherine’s inner circle felt that now was the right time to speak. We have witnessed an incredibly tumultuous time for the monarchy over the past decade, there has been infighting, scandal, heartbreak—with the passing of the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh—and there’ve been serious health issues for the king and princess as well. But there have been some incredible moments that William and Catherine have experienced as well, which is shaping their joint vision of a modern monarchy and that’s the journey I wanted to take readers on. In your book, Prince William and Princess Kate are presented as changemakers. As they prepare for their future roles as king and queen, what can we expect from them? We have seen in recent times William openly speaking about change— and “change for good.” This will involve making the monarchy more accountable, such as William’s ongoing audit with the Duchy of Cornwall, and more relatable, such as William and Catherine centering on public work that has more impact across many years, such as his homelessness project Homewards, the environmental project Earthshot, or Catherine’s early years work. William will also drastically reduce the time and format of a coronation, for example. And they won’t be afraid to speak out on events that matter to them, whether that is social wellbeing, the state of the nation or global issues such as war in the Middle East and Europe. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales want to rule, when the time comes, with more empathy and a greater personal relationship with the people, and we are seeing that with the way they speak about their own mental health and wellbeing, it’s incredibly forward-looking. How central is Catherine to the monarchy and Prince William? Is it fair to say she is the quiet power behind the throne? Yes, certainly. She is very strategically-minded; she knows this is a role for the long haul. Catherine has faced an awful lot of unfair criticism in the past regarding her approach to royal duties, her perceived lack of experience even though she’s been doing the job for 15 years, or her proficiency for public speaking, for example. But what came up time and time again from those closest to them as a couple, is that behind the scenes she is certainly across the detail, looking to the future and making strides in areas such as her personal vision for the early years, or supporting William’s vision for modern change, that will have an effect for generations to come. How much of an influence has the Middleton family had on Prince William and the Wales children, particularly Prince George? How might this benefit the Royal Family? It’s not an understatement to say they have been integral and hugely influential. William has told friends that being with the Middleton family is a release, “more room to breathe,” a friend told me. Catherine comes from a grounded, tight-knit family who remains very close. Of course, she leaned on them when dealing with her cancer diagnosis and her treatment, but they have all been there in helping with William and Catherine’s children and helping to keep them grounded. Providing a strong and stable upbringing with their family is absolutely centered in everything William and Catherine do. This environment, especially for Prince George as a future king, but also for all of their children is hugely important. William and Catherine have always believed, through their own very different individual experiences as children, if you get the family right, then everything else will fall into place. Did the late Queen Elizabeth approve of Catherine as a match for her grandson? Certainly. She was incredibly fond of her and thought she was confident and a great support for William. So much so that when they had their brief breakup in 2007, it was QEII who told William that he had to follow his gut instinct and not worry about what he couldn’t control in the future. She was very keen on seeing him happy, which is why she encouraged him to repair the relationship, so in a sense, she changed the course of history. Tell us about the late Duke of Edinburgh offering Catherine advice on how to be a consort and why she should not let the “men in grey” bully her. As an “outsider,” Prince Philip had a lot of experience in what it was like to marry into an institution that could often be hugely pressured and feel like you lived in a goldfish bowl a lot of the time. He was honest about the trials and tribulations of a life in the monarchy, but also advised her to be true to herself, which I feel we see so much in the way that both William and Catherine operate as a team with their family, putting the children first. The faceless courtiers of the palaces have often wielded such incredible power, and certainly William and Catherine want to move away from that model to make the experience a lot more collegiate. When it comes to parenting, who is the disciplinarian, William or Catherine? Their values are shared. They support one another with boundaries for the children. The children are aware of their position in the family and the wider world, but in a way that is very different to William and Harry’s upbringing. The concept of “heir and spare” may be clear in the different roles the children will play in the future, but both William and Catherine view it as damaging and archaic, and it doesn’t feature in their upbringing of the children. After everything they have faced together, how do William and Catherine live their lives differently today? They’ve become closer due to the major events of the last few years. They realize their time together is precious, they may only have a few more years until they are king and queen when their roles will change dramatically. And they have found a great deal of common ground facing these issues together. When Harry and Meghan left their roles, suddenly William and Catherine’s looked a lot different without support in the future. Even though they of course hope the King is around for many years to come, they are both ready to step into the roles when required, which has come from a reliance on each other and an appreciation that they will be leading a much slimmed down monarchy in the future.
Kate Middleton Prince William Queen Elizabeth King Charles Iii Prince Harry Meghan Markle
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