Prince William’s Next Move Will Strengthen His Position as Heir After Reports He Will Have Harry ‘Harshly Dealt With’
Things have been a little complicated for the British Royal family lately. King Charles is still battling cancer. Kate Middleton just went through her own cancer battle, one she emerged from in good health. Meanwhile, Prince William is stepping up in his duties to help his father, as is expected from the heir to the throne. And rumors of a deepening feud between King Charles and his younger son, Prince Harry, continue. The feud has reportedly gotten even worse during the past few days, as Harry continues to appear in court in the case over the removal of his security.
For now, this is all about Charles and Harry, but it might soon fall to William. And Prince William’s next move is set to strengthen his position as heir. The Prince will travel to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on behalf of the British royal family later this week. Why William? It’s what protocol dictates.
Related: Did William really cheat on Kate?
Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained to Vanity Fair that King Charles “will not travel to the Vatican, in accordance with protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.” In 2005, Prince Charles attended Pope John Paul II’s funeral instead of Queen Elizabeth.
The King did release a statement about the Pope’s passing. “My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis,” Charles said. “Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.”
All of this comes amid reports that succession planning is already underway in Britain “The people I’ve spoken to have said that the succession planning, as they call it, began even before Charles’ diagnosis,” royal author Tom Quinn told Harper’s Bazaar recently. “I mean, he’s the oldest Prince of Wales to become king in history, so succession planning had begun before Charles came to the throne simply because of the age issue.”
Reports have also surfaced that, when William takes the throne, he plans to strike a much harsher tone with his brother, Prince Harry. “It’s no secret William wants Harry more harshly dealt with. He thinks he has betrayed the family from top to bottom, which is the ultimate Windsor crime. It wouldn’t take much to provoke him to flex his muscles when he is king,” a palace insider told The Daily Beast.
Those reports have indicated some of the moves Prince William is planning when he takes the throne include taking Harry and Meghan’s titles away, which King Charles had allowed them to keep. A couple of weeks ago, Prince Harry told reporters they would “be shocked” to hear “what’s being held back” in the case of his security being taken away, adding that his “worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure,” adding, “and that’s really sad.” The Prince, however, gave no more information about it. Perhaps, if his titles are taken away, we will finally learn the whole story about this entire family drama. We will just probably have to wait until there’s a new King to get it.
