Speaking on Channel 5’s documentary William & Kate: Too Good To Be True, royal expert Victoria Arbiter claimed many people in Britain would like to see Prince William become next King ahead of Prince Charles when Queen Elizabeth II dies. She said: “There are a lot of people who want to skip Charles and go straight to William.
“It would be shocking to skip Prince Charles, I think that’s more driven by William’s youth.” But Channel 5’s royal correspondent Simon Vigar claimed the Queen would never allow it as she does not like breaking the rules, and neither does William.
He said: “The Queen doesn’t believe in breaking the rules, she does not want Charles to step aside when she passes. William doesn’t want that to happen.” He added: “He will be William the 5th one day and she will be Queen Catherine, and I honestly think what you see is what you get. They’re not fakes.” Prince William is recognised as one of the most popular members of the Royal Family and is renowned for modernising the monarchy.
Throughout the duration of lockdown, Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, have been seen often undertaking their royal work through virtual means. For several months the Royal Family have been carrying out their duties virtually like millions of Britons around the country. Now coronavirus lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease, the royals have made tentative steps towards undertaking in-person engagements again.
In the last couple of weeks, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited London to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron, just two days after Princess Anne became the first to conduct a royal engagement in person. All of the in-person work undertaken by the royals thus far has been completed in a safe and socially-distanced manner, but Prince William has taken precautions even further.
Prince William became the first royal to wear a face mask in public last week. The Duke of Cambridge needed to don PPE (personal protective equipment) when visiting the Oxford Vaccine Group at the Churchill Hospital. Currently, people in England must wear face masks when using public transport and visiting hospitals.
In keeping with these regulations, the Duke of Cambridge donned a face mask. The group in Oxford visited by Prince William has made headlines for its progress toward a possible COVID-19 vaccine. Prince William spoke with the researchers who had helped develop it, as well as volunteers participating in trials for the vaccine.
He spoke of the “incredibly exciting and fascinating” work being done at the hospital. During his visit, William asked one woman: “’Were you a willing volunteer?” He also asked a man if he was ”nervous” before telling them both: ”You’re in good hands, I’m sure.”
During his visit, Prince William said if it was announced the Oxford team had “cracked it” people would “breathe a huge sigh of relief.” He added: “People want there to be some sort of finality to it.”
The Duke of Cambridge later praised staff and said he had always been ”interested in medical science”. He said: “It’s the most incredibly exciting and very welcome project that you’re all doing which is why it’s fascinating.”