William the Quiet Disruptor - Future of the Monarchy

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

I just read this Sky News article “My Week with Prince William: The Quiet Disruptor” and found it really interesting.

The article paints a picture of someone who’s trying to do things differently, more of a “quiet disruptor” than a traditional royal. He seems to want to modernise the monarchy, focusing less on ribbon-cutting and more on community projects and real social impact. It might not be flashy, but it feels more in touch with what people care about today. He wants to be seen as a trustworthy global leader who uses his influence for good in a time when there is a lot of distrust in leadership worldwide.

It talks about how, although some still label him “work-shy” because he schedules his engagements around his children, most of the people interviewed actually saw that as a positive. They praised him for putting his family first and being a present dad.

It acknowledges that not everyone will be happy with this new version of monarchy, and some people will criticise the change in ethos.

I suppose time will tell whether this new approach will change anything long term. Charles also said he wanted to modernise, so let’s see it sticks this time. But it’s an interesting read if you’re curious about how William’s trying to shape his role.

William the Quiet Disruptor

Wait until someone informs this poster that the Zulu Kingdom conquered various tribes (no-one hugged their way to creating a Kingdom anywhere on the planet) and several artefacts held by the Zulu royal family are not originally theirs...

This reply and your post that I replied to are not the same !

Well yes !
best not to go down this route though!
if every country in the world returned what wasn’t originally theirs, let’s just say it wouldn’t go well for anyone!

I’m confused! You asked why their work schedule mattered to me- I replied. Unless I’ve misunderstood?

it would go particularly badly for the UK though.

I believe American and Australia would think differently if we handed back either to the original inhabitants!

We don’t see any of the behind the scenes stuff though, and have no clue about how much time that takes up. There has just been a tv series announced for example about the work of Wildlife Rangers, in which William has been involved, voicing an introduction for each episode, and the trailer. He turned up an announced to promote it to. That whole was completely invisible before the announcement.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3087vlmljmo

Now @Serenster, are you delivering this information from a royal swan on horseback with fanfare?

Personally I am more concerned about that wanker Starmer and his cronies. He has a much greater affect on my life. Take him to the guillotine! Fucking liar.

And the great thing is that living in a democracy means that you can vote for someone else, campaign on behalf of a party whose views better fit yours, run for office yourself, etc. He’s in office because his party were voted in. His party will no doubt be relegated to the Opposition again.

What he isn’t is in office till he dies or abdicates, because of who his parents were, and at vast public expense, along with his extended family, because of their sacred bloodline.

That programme looks very interesting-I do hope William’s presence gets it as much publicity as possible.

That programme looks very interesting-I do hope William’s presence gets it talked about as much as possible. Shame it’s not had more publicity.

Or like any other european monarchy for that matter, since the UK's the only one which actually holds a coronation

That extravagant coronation was a monstrous and tone deaf embarrassment.

Alternatively, it was an appropriate event for a thousand year old institution, incorporating multiple aspects of tradition and heritage.

Yeah but they are not taxing me to the hilt like Labour are wanting to do .

My couple of quid I'm happy to pay !

They don’t pay any taxes.

false.

I don’t have a dog in this hunt, as I am not in the UK, but I have seen the claim that “Trump likes William” made here at mumsnet rather frequently. It is paired with some rather overblown claims of the “soft power” of the monarchy and the potential uses of William as some kind of goodwill ambassador.

I live right in Boston where I believe Earthshot was launched. I saw a lot of excited coverage of it on Mumsnet and lots of similar bragging about William’s charisma, soft power, and popularity.

I would be the first to admit that American taste in celebrities is often shamefully servile and pro aristocracy. So I am sure some relatively high percentage of tuft hunters, toad eaters, and of ultramontane catholics, pseudo monarchists and white nationalists love them some Prince William. But how that translates into anything like international power, moral suasion, or significance on the world stage is beyond me. Ditto for Trump’s…uh…affections. The man has fucked over and dumped more wives, children, casinos and businesses than anyone on earth. To be “liked” by Trump is beyond meaningless—in fact if history is any indicator it is downright dangerous to be even briefly associated with Trump. His ex wives and business partners invariably end up poorer and more disgraced than perhaps they anticipated. One of his ex’es was famously buried on his golf course so he could arrange a tax break for himself.

My point isn’t so much about Trump—though I do find the continued invocation of the short fingered vulgarian’s good opinion of Prince William more than a little absurdly down market for the royals. My point is that William’s international standing is basically down to vapor ware and the continued fascination of modern democracies with the romance of royalty precisely because it is an anachronism. As useless as an appendix. Or really just a kind of side show of freaks that the rubes love to watch.

I am the same age as Diana and well remember the excitement for her Royal Wedding. I’m not unaware of romance. But from this side of the pond I can assure you that William and Kate are largely past their sell by date as a focus of romance. And the “work” that they do so insignificant and shallow that even that puff piece heading this thread can’t make the case that they do anything at all.

If we have a royal family I want bling bling bling. Can never have too much bling imo.

They don’t pay a single penny of tax on the duchies which are worth £1.8 billion they are exempt from corporation tax and capital gains tax.

Again, false.

A big fat ZERO. QE2 was a trooper and rode a wave but in 2025 they are an expensive anachronism doubly so if they are lazy and don't sweat the job. Silvikrin ads on Instagram don't count. AI and the end of Britain's wealth will leave many millions on the breadline and angry and these stuffed suits will only highlight the gulf.

You can pay my 2 quid as well that's 4 for you and zero for me.

Yes, it's accurate that the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster are exempt from paying corporation tax and capital gains tax. These exemptions stem from their unique legal statuses as Crown bodies, which means they are not subject to certain tax laws that apply to corporations and individuals. (The Times, Wikipedia)
However, the income generated by these duchies is voluntarily subject to income tax. For instance, Prince Charles, during his tenure as Duke of Cornwall, voluntarily paid income tax on the surplus income from the Duchy after deducting official expenditures. This practice has been continued by Prince William since he inherited the Duchy in 2022. (Duchy of Cornwall, Wikipedia)
It's important to note that while the duchies themselves do not pay capital gains tax, the capital gains realized are not distributed as income but are instead reinvested into the estates.
These tax arrangements have been a subject of public and parliamentary scrutiny, with debates centering around the fairness and transparency of such exemptions, especially given the commercial activities undertaken by the duchies. (The Guardian)
In summary, while the duchies are exempt from certain taxes, the income derived from them is voluntarily taxed by the respective dukes, aligning with practices established in the early 1990s.