Heir to the British throne Prince William is to shoulder more responsibilities as the public face of the UK monarchy in the absence of his father King Charles III.
The Prince of Wales returned to public duties on Wednesday, two days after it was announced that the king is undergoing treatment for cancer.
The prince carried out an investiture at Windsor Castle, in southern England, which is one of his regular duties, and will later attend the London Air Ambulance annual fund-raising gala in central London in his role as patron of the charity.
He presented more than 50 honours during the late morning ceremony, accidentally dropping a MBE medal he was giving to charity worker Suzanne Hutchinson
The prince quickly picked it up and pinned it to Ms Hutchinson, who was recognised for her services to children with congenital heart disease.
He was returning to official engagements three weeks after taking time off when his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, underwent major abdominal surgery for an undisclosed condition.
The Princess of Wales, who was treated at the same hospital in central London and discharged the same day as the king, is expected to remain away from public duties until after Easter.
Their absence leaves Prince William, Queen Camilla and the Princess Royal, who carried out an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, holding the fort alongside the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The National the king’s illness exposes the “dangers” of slimming down a monarchy too much.
The British monarchy has lost key members in recent years after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, stepped down from royal duties in early 2020.
Prince Andrew returned most of his titles and royal duties to the late queen, after facing a US civil sexual assault lawsuit, which he later paid millions to settle.
“It was never practical to slim [the monarchy] down too far,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.
“But remember what has happened with the Sussexes and with Andrew led to this. Some of this was not avoidable. Or at least you couldn’t plan in this way.
“This is all unprecedented”
Mr Fitzwilliams said there is nothing that can be done to immediately relieve the pressure on the family and its working members should not be slimmed down any further.
“Princess Anne already has a huge number of engagements.
“Prince William will undoubtedly be doing more. There’s no doubt about that. And also, there will be more pressure on the queen.
“She’s the king’s rock. They are soul mates. He will be very clearly reliant on her love and support.”
Mr Fitzwilliams said the family's spring and summer schedules will be very difficult to plan.
“Running a monarchy needs careful planning. And this is tricky, to put it mildly. It’s serious,” he added.
One silver lining to the king’s illness could be a reconciliation with Prince Harry, who has travelled to the UK from the US to see his father.
The king called both his sons to inform them of his condition ahead of the public announcement.
“We will have to wait and see, but obviously he’s very concerned and hopefully this will lead to some form of reconciliation,” said Mr Fitzwilliams.
“To what extent this occurs … these things take time. But there’s no doubt at all that in the circumstances, this may be a positive outcome.”
Prince Harry arrived in London from California on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the announcement about the king’s health was made to the nation by Buckingham Palace.
However, their first face-to-face encounter for many months appeared to last for as little as 45 minutes before the king was flown by helicopter to Sandringham in Norfolk, east England.
Prince William is said to have grown closer to his father in the wake of his brother’s controversial interviews, documentary and memoir, which saw him launch a flurry of allegations at his family.
It is believed William and his brother will not meet during Harry's trip to London, with their long-running rift continuing.
As it stands there are no plans to appoint any Counsellors of State to act on behalf of Charles in his absence.
King Charles III through the years – in pictures
Counsellors can be authorised by the monarch to carry out all but the sovereign's most key roles, such as appointing a new prime minister, and must be selected from Charles' spouse Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, Andrew's eldest daughter Princess Beatrice, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
The “workaholic” king will carry on behind the scenes, dealing with the red boxes which contain his state business and official papers, say officials.
He will also hold his weekly audiences with the Prime Minister and monthly Privy Council meetings, which can both be done remotely.
The king and queen were expected to visit Canada in May, and Australia, New Zealand and Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October.
But the illness raises the prospect that Prince William may have to deputise for the king, who is head of the Commonwealth, at the meeting, just as Charles did for the late queen.
Other trips could be postponed, depending on how the king's health progresses.
Forthcoming events that could see William playing a key role include the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey at the start of March and the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
More from our Neighbourhood series:
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Read more about the coronavirus
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
