Prince William is planning changes to royal traditions upon his ascent to King such as ending the policy of "never complain, never explain", it has been reported.
The Mirror reports the Duke of Cambridge has had a meeting with aides following backlash from his and the Duchess of Cambridge's Caribbean tour.
He brought together his most senior aides to thrash out a way of acknowledging concerns voiced by the people of the Caribbean nations visited last week, amid accusations of being “tone deaf” and actively paying homage to Britain’s colonial past.
The future king told his staff the time had come for him to use his own voice and confront the issues head on, as protests on slavery reparations anti monarchist sentiment.
Senior aides told how William had been rocked by widespread negative coverage of his and wife Kate ’s eight day tour of Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas.
William then decided to go out on his own to deliver an unprecedented statement about the future of the Commonwealth.
In his speech, the future king acknowledged the monarchy's days in those nations may be numbered.
He stated the future "is for the people to decide upon".
In a statement reflecting on the tour, William also emphasised who the Commonwealth chooses to be its leader "isn't what is on my mind", but what concerned him was its potential to "create a better future for the people who form it".
He stressed that he and his wife Kate were "committed to service" and saw their role as supporting people, "not telling them what to do".
William's statement might be interpreted as a response to days of criticism the couple faced during their eight-day tour, from accusations that Belize locals were not consulted about a royal engagement to calls for slavery reparations in Jamaica.
A number of newspaper reports on Monday carried comments from sources suggesting William had been doing a lot of thinking about how long-held protocols can be modernised when he ascends the throne.
Changes could include halving staff when he becomes the Prince of Wales, and ending the policy of "never complain, never explain", the newspapers reported.
The Sun reports William aims to “rip up the rulebook” and ditch old-fashioned methods to show they are modern royals.
A source told The Sun: “William and Kate will modernise how they work. It’s a breath of fresh air.
“They were bruised by attacks that their Caribbean trip harked back to the colonial age. In future they will rip up the rule-book and do things ‘The Cambridge Way’. They’re trying to work out what that will look like."
And a source told the Mail : "The prince believes that for him, the days of 'never complain' are over.
"He definitely won’t be speaking out regularly but believes if the monarchy has something to say, then it should say it."
The couple were also accused of being "tone deaf" after they were seen shaking hands with crowds behind a wire mesh fence in Kingston, and images of the pair riding in the back of a Land Rover were denounced as harking back to colonial days.
A senior palace source said of William: “He was keen to be heard and certainly thought there was a need to get ahead of the raft of negative headlines.
“He said he needed to make it clear that any of the Caribbean nations he had visited were totally free and completely supported in any decision they may make in the future to choose their own destiny.
“But he wanted to go further than that which is why the Duke made special mention of the Commonwealth in his speech.
“He’s been thinking about these issues for a long time and realises the role he occupies is increasingly important to be able to adapt in an ever changing world.”
William’s words are understood to have had the blessing of the Queen and Prince of Wales, owing to the effect on their collective destinies.
Media coverage of the tour has been split, with some emphasising the positive impact of their presence in the Caribbean, while others described the fence photograph as a "PR disaster".
Barbados replaced the Queen as head of state in November, and elected its first president during a ceremony witnessed by the Prince of Wales.
