“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
-
Photos from the COP30 climate summit have sparked public concern about King Charles’ health.
-
A senior courtier claimed the Palace is “quietly preparing William to step up—fast.”
-
The King, who has been undergoing cancer treatment since earlier this year, gave an update on his health last month.
Prince William and King Charles were recently spotted together at the Natural History Museum reception for the COP30 climate summit, and the resulting photos have fans talking—and not just Wills is rumored to be feuding with the King at the moment.
The recent photos of the 76-year-old King—who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024 and has been undergoing cancer treatment since early this year—have raised concern about the monarch’s health. Royal insider Tom Sykes even claimed he was “horrified by photographs that have emerged,” adding, “It’s impossible to look at these images…without seeing how much King Charles’s health has declined.”
What’s more: a senior courtier tells Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop that the Palace is “quietly preparing William to step up—fast,” as “the illusion of perfect health is collapsing.”
Of course, this isn’t all that surprising. Back in April, insiders told Harper’s Bazaar that—while there are no plans for Charles to abdicate—the royals have been preparing for William to become King “earlier than expected” for years now.
“The people I’ve spoken to have said that the succession planning, as they call it, began even before Charles’ diagnosis,” royal author Tom Quinn told the outlet. “I mean, he’s the oldest Prince of Wales to become king in history, so succession planning had begun before Charles came to the throne simply because of the age issue.”
King Charles offered a rare update about his health last month while meeting with cancer patients at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. According to Hello! magazine, the King told a patient, “I’m not too bad,” when asked about his recovery.
More recently, during his appearance on Eugene Levy’s The Reluctant Traveler, Wills gave a similarly vague update about his father’s health, noting, “Everything is progressing in the right way, which is all good news.”
This ^^^ all comes amid reports that Will is intending to be a “part-time King,” per royal commentators. As a royal expert recently told RadarOnline, “People are worried that by putting family life and privacy first, William could start to lose touch with the public. The late Queen always believed visibility was essential—and some think he’s pulling back more than he should.”
I’ll change the monarchy when I’m king, says Prince William
The Prince of Wales has said he will bring change to the monarchy when he is king, in an interview palace sources say is the most open Prince William has ever been.
The Prince was speaking to the actor Eugene Levy in Windsor, for the Apple TV+ show The Reluctant Traveller.
In a revealing conversation, the actor asked Prince William about his future role as King.
“I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda,” he said. “Change for good, and I embrace that, I enjoy that change. I don’t fear it, that’s the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen.”
AppleTV+/PAThe prince made the comments as he gave Levy a tour of Windsor Castle.
William arrived to meet the actor on an electric scooter that he said he used to get around the castle grounds.
He said he had been a fan of the American Pie series of films – the bawdy coming-of-age movies in which Levy played a long-suffering father.
During the tour of some of the castle’s grandest rooms, Prince William also spoke about his family history.
“I think if you’re not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it, and restricted by it too much.
And I think it’s important to live for the here and now.”
Prince Willam stresses the importance of tradition but says he isn’t afraid to ask questions to keep the monarchy relevant.
“There are points when you look at tradition and go, is that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do? Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having?
“So I like to question things, is what I’m really getting at.”
The conversation takes the Prince and the actor on a dog walk around the Castle with the family dog, Orla.
They talk about family, children, media intrusion and being an Aston Villa fan.
And the strain of coping with both his father and his wife dealing with cancer is a recurring theme of their exchanges.
“Stuff to do with family overwhelms me, quite a bit. You know, worry or stress around the family side of things – that does overwhelm me quite a bit.”
The Prince takes the actor to the Two Brewers pub close to Windsor Castle.
Levy orders a pint of Guinness, Prince William has a pint of sweet cider.
It’s an informal setting where the Prince seems relaxed especially when talking about his family and how his children coped when their mother was unwell.
“We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need,” he told Levy.
“And we’re a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but you never quite know the knock on effects that it can have.
“And so, it’s just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is okay.”
The interview does not touch on the state of relations with Prince Harry.
But Prince William does mention his brother when asked about his experience of royalty growing up with the intense scrutiny his mother and father faced.
“I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past that Harry and I grew up in. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”
Speaking to the BBC, Levy said he was surprised at how candid the Prince was during the interview.
“To me, it was just a conversation. I wasn’t thinking about it in my own mind as any kind of scoop,” he said.
“He was telling me what his thoughts were and we were able to have a little back and forth. It was a totally surreal day for me.”
And as the prince and the actor finish their pints and round off their day together, the prince says he wants to create a world his son would be proud of.
“You know life is sent to test us as well and it definitely can be challenging at times, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are.
“I’m so proud of my wife and my father, for how they’ve handled all of last year. My children have managed brilliantly as well.”
The “Important” Work Prince William Is Doing to Avoid “Setting Up” George, Charlotte, and Louis for a “Hard Time” in the Future
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
During an appearance on Apple TV+ show The Reluctant Traveler, Prince William addressed a plethora of surprising topics. As well as discussing some of the “funny” comments tourists have made at Windsor Castle, the Prince of Wales spoke about how he’s attempting to prepare his children for success, not failure.
Speaking to host Eugene Levy, William explained (via People) that he tries to maintain stability at home for his three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. “I do try and stick to school timetables as best as possible,” William noted. “So, most days we’re in and out of school doing pick-ups and drop-offs.”
Prince William continued, “Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important.” The royal elaborated, “Because, for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.”
Prince William also revealed that his late mother, Princess Diana, “definitely” influenced the way he’s raising his children. “I think it’s really important that that atmosphere is created at home,” he shared. “You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love.”
The Prince of Wales continued, “That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood…My parents got divorced [when I was] 8, so that lasted a short period of time.”
William revealed that his mom and dad’s split impacted the way he decided to raise his own kids. “You take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parents,” William told Levy. “I think we all try and do that and I just want to do what’s best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you’re small really affects you when you’re older.”
It’s clear that George, Charlotte, and Louis remain Prince William’s priority.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Shannen_Doherty_4-tout-3098ca831ddf4164b3b65617640e1a20.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Shannen Doherty Opens Up About Her Departure From “Beverly Hills, 90210”")
