Prince William Might Ban One Thing, Which Is "Not Fit for Purpose," When He Becomes King

The Prince of Wales "will be 'hands-on' in restructuring a leaner machine," according to a source.

Prince William at the Opening of the General Plenary of Leaders during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 30 in Brazil, on November 7, 2025
(Image credit: COP 30 Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Much has been written about Prince William's alleged plans for the future. As the heir apparent, the Prince of Wales will one day become King, and when he does, the royal might implement some new rules and alter the status quo.

According to a new article by the Sunday Times's royal editor, Roya Nikkhah, "William is understood to be concerned about the optics of non-working royals benefiting from preferential living arrangements."

Per the outlet, William is motivated by the revelation that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been subletting multiple properties, while only paying a small "peppercorn" rent for his own residence.

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The fact that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have allegedly "never paid rent for their homes at St James's Palace and Kensington Palace" has only added weight to Prince William's initial concern.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on May 8, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

William is motivated by the revelation that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been subletting multiple properties

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Per Nikkhah, Prince William appears to be leading by example. For instance, the prince shared contract details for his new home, Forest Lodge, with the general public, which includes a rule preventing subletting.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are also paying considerably more rent for the property than the previous tenants did, seemingly proving that they're committed to transparency and fairness.

"Sources close to the prince told the Sunday Times that he wants to ensure it is 'fit for purpose in the modern era' and will 'look under the hood' of the institution," the outlet shared. Basically, the current Royal Family rules might not be "fit for purpose" moving forward.

Queen Camilla and King Charles with the Wales family on the Buckingham Palace balcony

"William is understood to be concerned about the optics of non-working royals benefiting from preferential living arrangements."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The outlet's source also claimed that Prince William is "'mindful of how much the monarchy costs' and the size of the organization, and will be 'hands-on' in restructuring a leaner machine while assessing the 'footprint of the institution.'"

It appears as though the Royal Family will enter a very different era when William is King.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.