It might seem like the Prince and Princess of Wales – who recently took part in a forum for young people for World Mental Health Day – are doing a lot for their country since stepping into their new roles following the late Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, but not all members of the royal family seem to agree…
According to reports, some members of the royal family believe that Prince William, 41, and Kate Middleton, also 41, “aren’t pulling their weight” at the moment, as they are juggling their royal duties with parenting their three children. The Prince and Princess of Wales are parents to Prince George, who turned 10 in July, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.
Prince William And Kate Middleton Are In A 'Difficult Position'
"There’s a growing feeling that William and Kate aren’t pulling their weight," a royal insider reportedly told Ok! magazine. "They are the future of the monarchy and are themselves senior members of the Royal Family," they added.
Another insider was a little more understanding and forgiving, and referenced the "difficult position" they are in as they try to juggle being parents of three young children with their royal duties. While they're not the only couple in the world who juggle full time jobs with parenting, there aren’t very many parents out there who are tackling parenting with representing a royal family as well as their country, with the whole world watching their every move.
"William and Kate have been put in a very difficult position of choosing between the right path for their family or the future of the monarchy," the source said, before confirming that as things currently stand, they have decided to prioritize their children over anything else. "Both are very important to them, but they have decided to put their children first while they are so young," they added.
Prince William and Kate did indeed put their children first very briefly over the summer, as they took two full months off from participating in official royal duties in order to spend time with their kids during the school holidays. "They’re [William and Kate] very popular, they’re a huge asset to the U.K., but there have been eyebrows raised in other parts of the royal household about the amount of time they’re not doing official engagements," royal correspondent Richard Palmer told the Daily Express earlier this year.
Prince William And Kate Middleton Came Under Fire For Not Attending Women's World Cup Final In Sydney
One event the future King and Queen of England controversially missed out on during their two-month break was the England v Spain game in Sydney for the Women’s World Cup Final back in August. Prince William is the head of the UK's Football Association, so many people were disappointed that he didn’t make an appearance. It seemed to make matters worse that members of the Spanish royal family – including Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter, Infanta Sofia – were able to make the journey to attend the historic game.
If you'll recall, the royal family tried to claim that the cost of the trip and the carbon footprint were among the reasons why the Prince and Princess of Wales didn’t make an appearance, but most people think it's because the game occurred during their summer holiday. Piers Morgan couldn’t pass up an opportunity to comment on Prince William's absence, and tweeted: "Get on a plane to Australia asap, YRH (Your Royal Highness)."
Defense For The Prince And Princess Of Wales
However, another royal source defended the couple – especially the Princess of Wales – and said the comment about her not pulling her weight was absolutely not true. "If the accusation is that Kate isn’t pulling her weight, that is absurd and everyone who knows them knows it," a source told the Daily Beast, in the mom-of-three's defense. "It is not exactly a state secret that she has three children aged 10, 8, and 5 on whom the future of the monarchy depends," they continued, before going on to say that both she and Prince William have chosen to ignore the criticism.
"She works incredibly hard. They have had this type of criticism from the press before and I’m sure they will have it again. It’s water off a duck’s back," the source explained, adding, "Real people understand that you have to prioritize your children at that age."
