If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
If there’s anything royal fans learned in 2024, it’s that Prince William is going to rule very differently from King Charles III once he is on the throne. The reimagining of the royal family structure sounds great to modernists, but it’s going to disrupt the conservative power structure at the palace — and not everyone likes that idea.
While the monarch is a figurehead of power, there are whispers that the “men in gray suits” are the ones who are really calling the shots from behind the scenes, per The Mirror. Prince Harry even said the quiet part out loud in his 2023 memoir, Spare, by calling out the staff members who were “middle-aged white men who’d managed to consolidate power through a series of bold Machiavellian maneuvers.” He blames their actions for much of the family feud.
This odd structure of power might be where William and Harry see eye to eye — neither of them are fans of palace staffers interfering with their lives. That’s why the Prince and Princess of Wales have taken steps to excise them from their personal and professional lives. Royal expert Jennie Bond told the media outlet, “The Waleses have stepped outside the Palace walls in more ways than one.”
The first step was moving their three children to the cozy Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor in 2022. The home has just enough bedrooms for the family of five and not enough room for household staff to live with them. The second step, according to Bond, was hiring a CEO to take a “more corporate approach for their private office.” She added, “While plans are on hold as the Princess recovers, it’s clear that the couple intends to bypass some of the ‘gray men’ at the Palace and take more direct control of their affairs.”
William has not been quiet about his future plans either. He told The Times during his South African tour in November that many palace changes were ahead. I’m trying to do it differently, and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” he explained. “To give you more [of] an understanding around it, I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal.”
The “men in gray suits” might find themselves out of a job, especially since they seem to fuel the royal family gossip for the British tabloids. But William wants to have a “contemporary appeal,” per Us Weekly, when he is on the throne and he can’t lead effectively if the palace staffers are running the royal show.
Before you go, click here to see more photos of Prince William & Kate Middleton through the years.
Leave a Comment