Prince William celebrated his 43rd birthday on Saturday, June 21, and with another year under his belt, talk has turned to how the Prince of Wales will handle his eventual role as King. William—who marked his big day with a photo featuring his family's new puppies—is said to be focusing on how he can be "mindful" of making the monarchy for relevant for today's world. And according to a new report from the Times, the Prince of Wales plans to change the coronation service to be "much simpler."
Per the media outlet, the Prince of Wales is "mindful of how much the monarchy costs" and wants to ensure that the Royal Family reflects modern life in a different way than Queen Elizabeth or King Charles had considered. "He wants to make sure the whole thing has even more impact and remains relevant," a friend told the Times.
"He has been thinking about the future for years, and he knows that what his grandmother did and what his father does is an evolution,” Jason Knauf, CEO of Prince William's Earthshot Prize, told the outlet. "There are traditions and things that won’t change, but this thinking about the next [role] is how is this going to be reflective of him?"
Knauf continued, "It’s all an evolution, making it work for what people expect of him and leaders of his generation."
One area for change is the coronation ceremony itself. A royal source told the Times that the Prince of Wales will make his service "much simpler." The insider added, "Look at the coronations of medieval kings, they were staggeringly simple. Keep things that are pertinent to today, that reflect diversity and get back to the core of it."
The same source told the publication that when it comes to having the nation swear allegiance to William during the coronation, "there is no way he will go down that route or anything like it." The insider also questioned whether the Prince of Wales will wear the Imperial State Crown, calling it a "ridiculous thing that looks like it’s out of Disney."
However, the outlet added that Prince William "is understood to feel sentimental about the Imperial State Crown’s link to his father and his grandmother."
Prince William, seen at Royal Ascot 2025, isn't a fan of horse racing like The King or Queen Camilla, an insider told the Times.
Another switch involves Royal Ascot. Prince William, who attended the annual horse racing event on day two last week, is not an equestrian like his father or grandmother. "I never get the feeling the whole top hat and racing is really his thing, and he’s said as much," a racing source who has spoken to the Prince of Wales told the Times. "He’s never really seemed comfortable doing it."
Another insider added that while the Prince of Wales "understands how important Ascot is," he won't "be as hands on" as his father or Queen Elizabeth. Olympic equestrian cousin Zara Tindall, however, seems like the perfect choice to take over the reigns, so to speak.
Along with Zara and cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, royal insiders have noted that Prince William's aunt and uncle, Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, will continue to have important roles in the Royal Family when he becomes King. The source said that the Prince of Wales thinks "it’s really important the fantastic work that they do is seen."
