With both his father King Charles and his wife Kate absent from public duties as they undergo cancer treatment, Britain's Prince William has come under the media and public spotlight like never before. - REUTERS
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00:00 There's a spotlight on Prince William like never before. As heir to the throne and son
00:07 of late Princess Diana, William is used to the scrutiny that comes with being a British
00:11 royal. But his father and wife's absence from public life have meant even greater attention
00:18 has turned to the future King William V. Anna Whitelock is a professor of the history of
00:23 the monarchy at the University of London.
00:26 He knows he has to be ready to be king and I think that's the very scary moment that
00:32 William would have been all too aware of, the moment of his grandmother's death.
00:36 William's grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest reigning monarch in British
00:40 history. She died in September of 2022, a year after her husband Philip. It left the
00:47 monarchy looking noticeably smaller, especially with the high profile fallout with Prince
00:52 Harry and his wife Meghan, and the scandal over Prince Andrew's friendship with sex offender
00:57 Geoffrey Epstein. Now, the current absence of Charles and Kate as they battle cancer
01:03 has brought that even more into focus.
01:06 You know, when that cancer diagnosis came, of course, I'm sure his first reaction was
01:10 as a son concerned for his father. But there is also this big weight of responsibility
01:16 that suddenly starts to kind of descend upon his shoulders. And I'm sure he's very, very
01:21 aware of that.
01:23 So what would William be like as king? The prince has not been shy to speak his mind
01:27 and criticise world leaders over the environment. In February, he voiced concern over the Israel-Hamas
01:33 war and its death toll, an unusually direct intervention from a British royal. He's also
01:39 won praise for championing causes like mental health.
01:43 He wants to actually play a role and use his platform. And I think it's going to be really
01:47 interesting over the next few years to see whether people are ready for that or whether
01:53 there is a kind of line which he ends up having to be very clear that he doesn't cross.
02:00 And as for how one person can handle these stressors in the public eye, author and royal
02:04 biographer Robert Hardman has a response.
02:07 I'm sure when the time comes, Prince William will step up to the plate. I mean, we saw
02:12 how, in the aftermath of the death of Elizabeth II, the longest-lived, longest-reigning monarch
02:17 we've ever had. People thought, "How do you follow that?" Well, the answer is monarchy
02:21 gets on with it. It stands for continuity and stability, and one generation moves on,
02:28 and that's the way it's always worked.
02:30 (car engine revving)