Prince William Is Modeling Himself After Queen Elizabeth II According To Royal Expert

May 31, 2021

In the wake of Prince Philip’s death on April 9, the topic of royal succession has come up yet again. As BBC details, the late prince was never in line for the throne despite being married to Queen Elizabeth II, a direct descendant of King George VI. That’s because men cannot marry into the royal family and become monarchs. Philip, who was born into the royal families of Greece and Denmark, thus had no claim to the throne. However, after Philip married Elizabeth, the queen gave him the title of prince.

With that said, Philip’s firstborn son, Prince Charles, is a direct descendant of the royal family and is thus the next person in line for the throne. But given Charles’ age—he will turn 73 in November 2021—it would not be surprising to see Prince William, Charles' 38-year-old son, ascend to the role of king within his lifetime.

Of course, there is a massive responsibility that comes along with being a British monarch, and so the queen has taken special care to prepare William for his potential role as king. From a young age, William has been preparing for this role with a lot of help from his grandmother. The careful attention the queen has taken to prepare William has also led to a strong bond to form between the two, especially since Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

Royal biographer Penny Junor, who wrote the book "Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King," detailed that William has taken his role as future king very seriously, and will be modeling himself after Elizabeth in the future.  

The queen and William have become close through the years, and it is no surprise that he will William modeling himself after his grandmother. 

"The queen plays a very special dual role in William’s life,” said Katie Nicholl, the author of books like “The Making of a Royal Romance," in an April 2021 interview with OK! "She is his sovereign, but also a very loving grandmother who wants to prepare him for the future."

According to OK!, the queen began to prepare William for the role of king from a young age, pulling him out of Eton College, his boarding school, every Sunday. At the time, the 13-year-old student would reportedly tell a white lie and say that he was going to the bathroom when, in fact, he would visit Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. OK! further explains that William hid his weekly sessions from his friends because of his modesty. He was preparing to become a king, after all!

"Afterwards, he would have one-on-one time with his grandmother to talk about whatever was on his mind," Nicholl explained. "She was there for him to unload on — but those sessions were also an opportunity for her to mentor and teach him, as her grandfather, George V, did with her."

"They became incredibly close and as his respect for her grew he began to embrace his destiny," Nicholl added.

According to OK! and the royal expert, the queen has a strong bond with her grandchildren in part due to the aftermath of their mother’s death. When Princess Diana tragically died in a car crash in Paris, France in 1997, Elizabeth took special care to look after her grandchildren, William and Prince Harry. 

“That was one of the few times that the Queen has put family above duty,” Nicholl told OK!. “She made a decision to stay in Scotland, at Balmoral, and be there for William and Harry, rather than come back and address a nation in grief. She was heavily criticised, but she felt her grandsons needed her, and that meant a great deal to them.”

William’s bond with his grandmother only grew stronger as time went on, as Nicholl told OK! Beyond showing up for the major milestones in his life — his graduation from the University of St. Andrews and his parade at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst — she has also been supportive of his marriage to Kate Middleton.

In the likely event that William is crowned king, Middleton would be crowned queen consort in an official ceremony. As opposed to male consorts like Philip, the royal family permits queen consorts to be crowned, according to Insider.

William has spoken about how much he admires his grandmother in the past. He told ITV in 2016, "Growing up, having this figurehead, having this stability above me has been incredible," adding, "I have been able to explore, understand, slightly carve my own path. I greatly appreciate and value that protection."

Royal biographer Penny Juror told The Sun that William has taken his role as future king very seriously, and has a great role model to depend on.

"I think he absolutely gets what his destiny is and he is embracing it. He is modeling himself on his grandmother the Queen," Juror said. 

Do you think that William will be a beloved king in the future? Tell us about your thoughts, and be sure to let others know as well!