Prince William and Princess Kate know that the future of the monarchy is uncertain, and they have already laid the groundwork to modernize the thousand-year-old institution. While they are prioritizing social media content and relating to a younger generation, they have already made a “significant shift” from the way past generations have approached their royal roles. In his new book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, Russell Myers explained that the Prince and Princess of Wales have already “redefined the pillars of their public role and the results they wanted to achieve with their platform.”
The biggest change that Prince William and Princess Kate have made in their approach to the monarchy is how many organizations they take under their wing. “Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of more than 600 organisations during her reign, while Prince Philip was associated with nearly 1,000 throughout his life,” Myers explained. “William and Catherine recognised that they would not be able to make the impact they wanted by spreading themselves so thinly.” Prince William and Princess Kate have slowly added key patronages and organizations to their royal resume, but not nearly as many as the senior royals who have come before them.
