Why Prince William Needed to Rehabilitate Image and Improve His Reputation

Prince William wearing a suit with a white flower and smiling in front of trees at the Duke of Westminster's 2024 wedding — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Following his father's cancer diagnosis, Prince William took on greater responsibilities within the Royal Family. Throughout 2024, Prince William stepped in for King Charles at numerous events, which led many experts to suggest the Prince of Wales was preparing for his future role as king. And according to a new article, William has been working diligently to improve his reputation in recent months.

A new profile in The New York Times explores King Charles and Prince William's roles within the Royal Family. Notably, royal experts have suggested that the Prince of Wales has attempted to make some meaningful changes as the future king, although he's not necessarily ready for the job.

"William has sometimes been seen as work-shy, but we see him gravitating toward bigger, more media-friendly events," historian Ed Owens told the publication. "He's burnishing his reputation as a statesman."

The outlet further reported, "William has put much of his energy into a program to tackle homelessness in six cities across Britain and Northern Ireland. Like his father, he continues to be active on climate change."

Princess Kate, Prince George, Prince William walking in front of a Union Jack — "He's burnishing his reputation as a statesman."

However, the report also suggested that William is far from ready to become king. "The job that William does not want, at least for now, is his father's," the outlet explained. "But fears over The King's health have made talk of succession inescapable."

Alongside wife Kate Middleton, Prince William has also been helping prepare their son, Prince George, to become heir to the throne. In spite of George's important future role, William and Kate are reportedly trying to give their children normal childhoods.

Princess Kate, Prince George, Prince Louis and Prince William on the balcony at Buckingham Palace — William and Kate are raising their three children to have a "grounded sense that they are human beings like the rest of us."

During the Channel 5 documentary Prince George: How To Make a Monarch, psychotherapist Lucy Beresford said (via the Mirror), "I think William and Kate, making sure that George, Charlotte, and Louis have these normalizing experiences where they just interact with really normal people, actually gives them that grounded sense that they are human beings like the rest of us, they're not rarefied, they're not elevated, and it could hopefully dilute that sense of 'I'm invincible.'"

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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.