Find out who a former royal employee says has been lending Prince William a helping hand as he’s making so many public appearances himself while his wife continues her cancer treatment.
After the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) announced her cancer diagnosis and that she was undergoing preventive chemotherapy, Prince William had to ramp up and shoulder all of his royal duties on his own in her absence.
While William and Kate have done plenty of separate appearances over the years, they’ve also done many together. But joint appearances aren’t a reality right now as the princess continues her treatment and recovery. While some believe the Prince of Wales is a bit “overwhelmed” taking on so many duties without Kate, there are two members of his family who have really helped him out while his wife is out of commission.
Here’s which royals a former Palace employee says have been helping the Prince of Wales.
Prince William holds trophy alongside Kate Middleton at the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Charity Polo Cup at Guards Polo Club | Karwai Tang/WireImage
The 2 family members supporting Prince William now as Kate continues her treatment
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch, his duties also included that of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. Harrold looked after Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate whenever they stayed at Highgrove House as well.
The king’s former employee explained that over the last several months some royals have rallied around William as not just Kate but also King Charles has had to take breaks from a number of duties for his cancer treatments.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Harrold said: “William will probably be very overwhelmed at the moment. There are a lot of duties as a royal, but William did conduct many solo engagements before his marriage, and has continued to during his marriage too. This will be feeling like a lot to undertake and he’s doing a very good job of it.
Prince William, Mike and Zara Tindall, and Princess Beatrice attend Easter Sunday service at St. George’s Chapel | Samir Hussein/WireImage
“He will be supported by other members of the family. Even though his brother is no longer in the picture, he [has] the support of his cousins, such as Zara and Beatrice … He does still have a very good support system around him.”
Beatrice’s sister has also lent support to Prince William, like when she attended the Prince of Wales’ Garden Party in July. However, she’s not able to help out as much as or make as many appearances as Beatrice and Zara because she doesn’t live in the U.K. full-time anymore. Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, actually split their time between London and Portugal.
Kate’s return to royal duties has been ‘great for the morale of the nation’
Harrold reflected on how “great” it was to see Kate return for the Trooping of the Colour in June, as royal watchers are looking forward to her return full-time whenever that may be.
Prince William and Kate Middlton on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour | Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“There was a huge buzz at Trooping the Colour. I witnessed the excitement when the carriage came out of the Palace,” he recalled. “You could see it caused a lot of buzz and joy around the British public. I think the energy of the public has increased because they were thrilled to see her there.
“Whether she’ll return to more duties depends on how well she is, but when she is seen in public, it does cause a lot of excitement which is great for her, as it will give her a boost, and it’s great for the morale of the nation.”
Harrold added: “[Kate] also wants the British public and Commonwealth to see she is as good as she can be and is getting on with life, just as millions of other people have to. She’s trying to carry on with as much of normal life as possible, which includes her royal duties.”
