Cape Town: Prince William has expressed his desire for the monarchy to evolve, stating he wants to fulfil his duties with a “smaller r in the royal.”
During his recent visit to South Africa, where he combined both informal and traditional royal elements, the Prince of Wales explained that he was aiming to approach his role differently.
While in Cape Town, Prince William met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and also participated in casual events and dressed informally.
When asked about his approach to royal engagements, Prince said that, “I can only describe what I’m trying to do, which is doing things differently, for my generation.”
Prince William added that his approach centres on impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening, and helping people, emphasizing the importance of empathy.
Prince commented that, “I really care about what I do and I believe we could use more empathetic leadership in the world to make a difference in people’s lives.”
A truly unfogettable week in Cape Town with @EarthshotPrize and @united4wildlife.
🎬 Watch the film on YouTube: https://t.co/x6JtuL4m9L pic.twitter.com/vEurlLBtY4
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) November 9, 2024
Earlier this week the prince opened up about what had “probably been the hardest year in my life”, having seen his wife and father, King Charles, being treated for cancer.
While in South Africa he sounded optimistic about possible joint overseas engagements with the Princess of Wales, who was declared cancer-free in September.
When asked about the future, Prince William expressed that he and the Princess of Wales hope to undertake more public duties together next year, aiming to bring something new to the organizations they support, while his current focus remains on initiatives like The Earthshot Prize and Homewards, all cantered around values of driving change and improving lives.
Catherine attended a Remembrance Day event in London with William earlier, and this was Princess of Wales‘s latest public engagement after going through cancer treatment.
Her last public appearance was in October when she met the bereaved families of three young girls who were murdered at a dance class in north-west England.