Prince George 'needs' Prince William's 'tough love' says pundit

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Royal commentator Daniela Elser believes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are facing the difficult task of boosting the monarchy’s popularity and bearing the weight of the Crown with only the support of their three children. The commentator’s analysis stemmed from a poll carried out between May 16 and 17 by YouGov on 1,669 British adults, focused on what people think of the current form of government in the UK.

This analysis suggests the Britons are split on whether the country will still have a monarchy in 100 years.

While 39 percent of the respondents to the recent survey said to believe the UK would still have a King or Queen as head of state in a century, 41 said they didn’t think so.

This split in opinions is even more concerning for the Firm when considering the results of a survey asking the same question in 2015 – when 62 percent said they expected Britain to still be ruled by a non-elected head of state in 100 years’ time.

Ms Elser also put the spotlight on another question recently asked by YouGov in its survey published on June 1, just before the beginning of the long bank holiday weekend filled with celebrations for the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.

The analysis, she noted, suggested 18 percent of Britons are embarrassed of the Crown.

This number was number much lower (8 percent) a decade ago.

The number of people saying to be proud of the monarchy dropped from 57 percent in 2012 to 47 percent this year, the YouGov study suggested.

These downward trend for the monarchy, paired with the fact future King Charles currently enjoys a much lower popularity than his mother, are painting a gloomy picture for Kate and Prince William’s future.

Ms Elser said: “What that in turn means is that by the time that William and Kate take over, the monarchy could very well be in a particularly bad way, meaning all hope will rest squarely on the Cambridges to yank the monarchy back from the brink.”

The Australian commentator also said in an op-ed for News.com.au: “That is not only a weighty responsibility and psychological load to carry but practically it will demand that the widely liked duo will have to be out and about in public with the sort of ubiquity as some desperate X Factor runners-up with a new album to push.”

The effort to boost the monarchy’s popularity among younger generations will be demanding also for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the expert suggested.

By the time Prince William will be preparing to accede to the throne, most of the current working members of the Firm will have retired due to their advanced age.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals in early 2020 and Prince Andrew’s announcement in November 2019 he would step back from public duties further depleted the number of people the future King can count on to carry out engagements and support the Crown.

This, Ms Elser said, means Kate and William will be able to count almost exclusively on their three children.

She said: “It is not hyperbolic to say, the future of the monarchy rests on their three shoulders because there is quite simply no one else.

“All of this, to me, sounds like an unthinkable level of pressure for William and Kate, both as people and as parents.”

Ms Elser also said this may create a conflict within Kate, as it is likely the doting mother is keen on allowing her children to make their own decisions about their future lives.

At the same time, deploying George, Charlotte and Louis as working royals would be “smart play”.

The commentator wrote: “As someone charged with helping keep the Crown afloat, sending the only available new recruits – her kids – out to work on the royal front lines is the smart play.

“However as a mother, surely she must want to protect them as best she can and want to give them as much freedom and choice about their lives as possible.”

Prince William currently is second-in-line to the throne and is expected to become Prince of Wales upon the accession to the throne of his father.

As third-in-line, Prince George is slowly being introduced to royal duties.

The boy has already taken part in a few official engagements, mostly related to sports he hugely enjoys.

Most recently, he accompanied Kate and William to SW19 to watch the single men’s final at Wimbledon, of which the Duchess is the patron.

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