William & Kate Are Liked More Than Charles: They're "Approachable

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, known as the Countess of Strathearn, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, known as the Earl of Strathearn, when in Scotland during a visit to Dumfries House on March 05, 2013 in Ayrshire, Scotland. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge braved the bitter cold to attend the opening of an outdoor centre in Scotland today. The couple joined the Prince of Wales at Dumfries House in Ayrshire where Charles has led a regeneration project since 2007. Hundreds of locals and 600 members of youth groups including the Girl Guides and Scouts turned out for the official opening of the Tamar Manoukin Outdoor Centre.

(Image credit: Photo by WPA Pool / Getty)

published 23 September 2022

Breaking news: People from younger generations are more modern.

Joking aside, it's sort of common knowledge that people absolutely adore Prince William and Princess Catherine, while they typically only quite like King Charles (though public opinion is rallying around him now that he's the monarch).

"Prince Charles is from a different generation so he might be seen as old-fashioned," Charles' former butler, Grant Harrold, tells Slingo (opens in new tab).

"While he is old-fashioned, he’s also quite modern, but William and Kate show more of their personalities, so people like them more. They’re drawn to them more."

But Harrold doesn't think we're above judging a book by its cover (fair).

"William was a pin-up at one point and Kate is a beautiful lady," he continues. "People all want to be Kate, dress like her and look like her, they are very much role models and I think that’s why they’re doing so well."

And while King Charles will certainly change the way the monarchy runs in his own ways, Harrold believes his eldest son will take things further—and that we're already seeing what kind of king he will be in the way he conducts himself in public.

"Prince William is changing things a lot," Harrold says.

"The Queen would never go up and hug someone, but for William and Kate this is now normal. The younger royals have shown that they can’t be aloof. If they are aloof, it will not work."

Of course, not only does William have the Queen and his royal father as role models, he also had the wildcard that was Princess Diana.

"Diana wanted to be a Queen of people’s hearts, William will be a King for the people," Harrold continues.

"He’s approachable, he’s friendly, he’s compassionate… he’ll put himself in anyone’s shoes. He’s not a king because that’s his job, he’ll be doing it for the people, to try and help them and make the country, if not the world, a better place."

The new Prince of Wales has already started on that mission, by creating the Earthshot Prize to do his part for the climate crisis. This year's awards ceremony will take place in Boston in December, and he and his wife will both be in attendance—their first trip to the U.S. since 2014.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.