Prince William is once again facing questions over his royal workload, as an expert has revealed that some critics consider the future king “work-shy” and “a little bit lazy” for fiercely protecting his family time and taking holidays away from royal duties.
Prince William and wife Kate Middleton have faced repeated criticism for taking time off from royal duties to spend time with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. One example that comes to mind was back in February this year, when the couple skipped the BAFTAs in favor of a family vacation to Mustique with their children during their school holiday.
They came under fire due to the fact that William is the president of BAFTA, and the vacation also came amid the ongoing scandal surrounding his disgraced uncle, ex-Prince Andrew. The couple’s decision to skip the event and prioritize family time fueled complaints from royal watchers who believed William should have been taking on more royal duties, especially amid his father King Charles‘ battle with cancer.
Let’s not forget that Prince William reportedly asked his father to allow him to take a step back from royal duties while Kate was also undergoing cancer treatment, but was told no. “Think again,” were reportedly the monarch’s exact words! However, Celebrity Intelligence founder and pop culture expert Dan Wakeford has now defended William’s approach, arguing that rather than being “lazy,” he is running his royal life more like a CEO and being strategic with his time…
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Prince William Defended After Being Called 'Work-Shy'
According to Fox News Digital, Wakeford revealed that the Prince of Wales isn't letting the negative comments about his time off affect him, especially as he believes William is still doing plenty for the royal family both behind the scenes and in front-facing roles.
"William is extremely good at setting boundaries and not working during the holidays, protecting his kids' privacy and his wife's mental health. There's some criticism of that," Wakeford revealed.
"Some critics snipe at that and think that he's 'work-shy' or a little bit lazy," he went on, adding: "But I think William is working more like a CEO and being very strategic with his time."
Wakeford continued to say that the father-of-three is working hard to have a work-life balance, and that his approach doesn't appear to be damaging his reputation, given that he remains extremely popular with the public.
He said: "He studies the monarchy in a way to help make it survive and keeps a boundary around his real life and his relationships so that he doesn't get burned out, and he can do the best job possible. And the poll numbers show that he's extremely popular, and he's doing a good job."
Royal Fans Are Divided Over Prince William's Work-Life Balance
There have been mixed reactions to William's approach, with some people agreeing that he is indeed work-shy, and others thinking that he deserves a break and should be able to spend time with his family while preparing for the throne, particularly because he may not have the same freedom once he becomes king.
"Nothing against the royals, but have any of them done any "real" work? They show up at events and just be royals," noted one Fox News Digital reader. "'Royalty' is the extreme example of nepotism," observed a second. "The man has never earned a paycheck in his life. For me, one of the best feelings in the world is being handed my pay after a hard week of work," slammed a third.
A fourth added: "All the royals are 'work-shy.' They're the ultimately welfare recipients: true welfare queens. They play dress-up for a living, while the working people of Great Britain struggle and pay taxes so the royals can live in castles and eat food prepared be world-class chefs. So who cares if William doesn't put on as much pretense as the rest of them?"
Others defended him, as one reader said: "Kudos to him. Seems he is mentally healthy and has his priorities right." "William seems grounded and in touch with reality, thanks to his mother's influence. His brother, not so much," said a second, in reference to Prince Harry, as a third said: "Smart man as he knows that one of the most important jobs he can have is to be a good father and spend time with them. He can do both."
A fourth thought: "He does not dodge royal duties by any means. But the reality is there are currently less royals to share the duties. William was also caring for his wife during her treatment. Her recovery is ongoing. And they have 3 young children who will hopefully be a lot older before he becomes king.... so now is the time for him to spend as much time as possible with them."
"So let's not forget that William joined the British army, he was also a helicopter search and rescue pilot, and worked a real job as an air ambulance pilot! He does hundreds of meetings and engagements each year! It's appalling to hear jealous people bash him and the royal family!" exclaimed a fifth.
"He's probably the first future king who's somewhat normal thanks to Diana. Give the kid a break," demanded a sixth, as a seventh said: "This guy is the only thing keeping the British monarchy from the dustbin of history."
Princess Anne Has Also Questioned Prince William's Workload
Interestingly, one of Prince William's harshest critics has reportedly been his aunt, Princess Anne, who is widely known as one of the hardest-working members of the royal family.
According to the Sunday Times' profile of her last year, several insiders have claimed that Princess Anne doesn't think Prince William is pulling his weight, and would like to see her nephew take on more "bread-and-butter" royal engagements, especially because he and the family were living at Adelaide Cottage at the time.
"She's still doing most of the investitures [at Windsor] even though William lives there," an insider reportedly dished, adding: "It annoys her."
That criticism echoes the wider complaints about William's workload, with some royal watchers arguing that he should take on more routine engagements rather than leaving the burden to other senior royals. And many others felt the same way, with one Instagram user saying at the time: "Princess Anne has a 3 hour round trip commute from Gatcombe Park to Windsor; Prince William literally lives there. And 3+ hours standing in heels is no joke for elderly feet. Himself could certainly step up a bit."
"Princess Anne has always been the hardest working royal. She truly embodies 'duty and devotion.' No wonder Anne is annoyed – she's still carrying such a heavy load at 74, while William lives right there and could help," wrote a second, adding: "If William wants to be seen as ready for the throne, he should probably step up and share more of these bread-and-butter duties with Anne!"
"Yes, Princess Catherine had treatment, he did not. Millions of spouses manage to do their jobs while their SOs are having chemo or radiation," said a third.
