At the last minute, just days ahead of Christmas, the Prince of Wales had to step away from his young family’s holiday festivities to dash overseas on an urgent trip – on behalf of his father, King Charles III.
Prince William travelled to Kuwait to pay tribute to the Middle East nation’s late ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf, who died on December 16.
But some are wondering why King Charles hand-balled such an important and diplomatically respectful task to his son.
WATCH NOW: The Royal Family appear on the balcony after King Charles III’s coronation. Article continues after video.
“Other monarchs, including King Felipe of Spain and King Abdullah of Jordan dropped everything to fly to Kuwait, so it was a little surprising that Charles didn’t make the trip himself,” a royal watcher tells New Idea.
Now, our sources can reveal the real reason why the heir to the throne took on the trip.
“William is worried for Charles and wants to take on some of the workload,” our source exclusively reveals, adding that Charles is “defensive about his health and has every intention of living up to the late Queen Elizabeth’s high standards of work and diligence.”
As a result, William, 41, knows he must tread carefully when addressing the issue with his father.
“William’s strategy is to convince Charles he wants to take on Princess Anne’s title as the hardest-working royal and it appears his plan is working, hence the last-minute decision for him to go to Kuwait.”
Charles, 75, has sidestepped some official royal duties lately.
Charles – and Camilla – were noticeably absent from the Princess of Wales’ Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on December 8.
In fact, the King’s only high-profile official engagement in the lead-up to Christmas was his surprise visit to the Royal Courts of Justice in London on December 14.
His incredibly busy year was captured in the BBC documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year which aired in the UK on Boxing Day.
“Charles is tired and these past few years, what with losing his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and the ongoing dramas with the Duke of Sussex, have been brutal,” the source tells New Idea.
“He spent his entire life preparing to become King, but it’s come to him so late in life.”
William is not the only one who has concerns. For some months now, royal watchers have noticed that Charles appears to be somewhat swamped and can seem tetchy.
“Charles is not as nimble nor energetic as he once was,” our source reveals.
“It’s also been noticed how pale he sometimes looks.”
Our source adds William will have used the Christmas break at Sandringham to talk his beloved ‘Pa’ about slowing down – just a little.
“Both William and the Princess of Wales took it upon themselves to make sure Charles had a decent rest over Christmas. William wants Charles to stop thinking he’s invincible and to start taking his health even more seriously than he has done in the past.”
Our source adds that William wants Charles to have a “happier second year as King than he did as his first”.
Clearly, some of William’s concerns have been heeded by Charles. In addition to him relinquishing some of his royal duties, he’s also appointed a new doctor to lead his personal medical team.
“The King knows his workload is more suited to someone with Willliam’s stamina,” reveals our source. “Expect to see a lot more of the Prince of Wales in the hot seat in 2024.”
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FLYING VISIT
William travelled to Kuwait with UK foreign secretary David Cameron to pay respects to Emir Sheikh Nawaf after his death, aged 86.
The British monarchy has long-standing ties with the Middle Eastern nation, so it was imperative that a senior royal made the trip.
OFFICIAL DUTY
William also represented Charles at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on December 14 to inspect the cadet graduation ceremony. Both Charles and William attended the naval training facility. “It’s a great honour for me to be here,” William said.
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