Prince William Regency Will Look 'Short Handed' If Kate Middleton Were 'Permanently Sidelined' Due To Health
Prince William could be King Charles' regent amid his health battle, according to a report.
Earlier this year, the Palace announced that His Majesty was diagnosed with some form of cancer. He is currently under medication, but the announcement sparked interest in the Prince of Wales' possible regency. Regency is when the reigning monarch is no longer capable of fulfilling their duties, so the next in line to the throne is appointed as regent to fill the role, making them a king or queen in all aspects but name.
According to Tina Brown, former Vanity Fair editor and author of "The Diana Chronicles," the monarch's health battle brings the Prince and Princess of Wales close to their possible ascension. However, it's allegedly not making them feel comfortable.
"The news of Charles's cancer has put William and Catherine in frightening proximity to ascending the throne ... The prospect of it, I am told, is causing them intense anxiety," Brown wrote for The New York Times.
Tom Sykes, a royal correspondent for The Daily Beast, spoke with some insiders who told him that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were allegedly "very upset" because they showed interest in carrying out royal engagements but were allegedly snubbed. Without the King, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Princesses of York, there are only very few royals to support the Prince of Wales' leadership in the slimmed-down monarchy.
"Some believe, however, that if Charles and Kate were to be permanently sidelined, forced into greatly reduced roles for the longer term by ongoing health challenges, a Prince William regency would look desperately short-handed," Sykes wrote.
Meanwhile, Amanda Matta, a royal watcher who makes educational videos about the royals on TikTok, felt that Prince William wasn't ready to be a king yet. However, Kristen Meinzer, another royal watcher and commentator, argued that if Prince William ascended the throne, the public would be supportive of him.
"Let's just say that I've seen no evidence that he's ready to be king," Matta said in an email to Business Insider.
"He's ready. And the public would embrace him - embrace him more readily, in fact, than they're currently embracing Charles," Meinzer told Insider.
The heir to the throne is going through a lot as his father and wife are both battling cancer. However, he has shown continued dedication to his duties. In February, the Duke of Cambridge attended a dinner for the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala and managed to take the whole ordeal lightly by joking about it.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all," the former East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot said in his speech at the event, per Harper's Bazaar.
"It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus. So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!"
