Prince William is set to assume the role of ‘global statesman’ which will see him travel the world to represent Britain abroad
The Prince of Wales will increasingly take on the role of global statesman, determined to stand up for what he believes is right, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Prince William’s trip to Poland last week to thank British troops on the border of Ukraine was a key staging post as he embraces his new position on the world stage, sources say.
The trip – a closely guarded secret – was also seen as an overtly political move for the heir to the throne. Even his visit to eat out at an LGBT restaurant in Warsaw is seen as part of the strategy.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘It was important for the Prince to travel to Poland last week to not only recognise the duty of our troops, but also to shine a light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis. This is a continuation of the evolution of his role as a global statesman.
‘We talk often about him using his global platform for the good of the environment via Earthshot. But this is the first opportunity for him to take a visit of this kind as Prince of Wales, and given that it is one of the biggest political issues facing every country on the planet, this is a demonstration of him growing as a statesman-like figure.’
Prince William reacts while speaking to young Ukrainian refugees during his visit to Poland
While sensitive to the diplomacy deployed by his late grandmother the Queen, who was careful not to stray into the world of politics, William is nevertheless said to be determined to stand up and speak out for what he believes to be right. His trip included a bold statement issued in Polish in which he applauded the way Polish and British troops were working together to ‘defend our shared freedoms’.
Sources say that William was involved in the planning for the trip and ‘expressed a wish’ to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis by meeting refugees in Poland.
While William has inherited his father’s former title and his wife Kate now carries the title of Princess of Wales – for years more closely associated with William’s late mother Diana – the future King and Queen want to bring their own interpretations to the job.
The new Princess of Wales is said to ‘appreciate the history’ of the title but will ‘want to look to the future as she creates her own path’. Meanwhile, further foreign trips are being planned for both William and Kate, who are expected to visit parts of the Commonwealth on behalf of the British Government.
Closer to home, Prince William will play a major role in the Coronation. A source said, however, that any investiture ceremony for William as the Prince of Wales was currently ‘not on the table’.
One’s gone to Iceland!
No icy reception: Iceland boss Richard Walker backed Kate’s campaign
The Princess of Wales paid an official visit to Iceland yesterday – the frozen food store, that is, not the country.
At one of the firm’s warehouses in Aylesbury, Bucks, she spoke to boss Richard Walker about what businesses can do for young children as part of the work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
For her visit, Kate wore a businesslike Zara white tweed blazer with gold buttons – which she previously wore for a school visit last month – and a white top paired with denim jeans. Mr Walker told the Princess her Shaping Us campaign ‘made me think what more we can do, personally as a parent, but also actually as a business’ to support young children
In an article in yesterday’s Financial Times, the Princess wrote of the need to create ‘working environments that provide the support people need to cultivate and maintain their own social and emotional wellbeing’ since ‘parental wellbeing is the biggest single factor in determining a child’s wellbeing’.