The Pragmatist’s View: Princess Anne on William’s Future Crown

Aunt Offers Candid Assessment of The Next King’s Modern Approach

While official protocol dictates that Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, must remain impartial on matters of succession, her reputation as the monarchy’s most pragmatic and “get-on-with-it” member means her views on her nephew, Prince William, are always keenly observed.

Though she has not issued a direct “statement” on William becoming King, her occasional candid remarks about the younger generation’s approach to royal duty—and her reported feelings on William’s working style—offer a telling glimpse into her expectations for the future monarch.

 The ‘Don’t Reinvent the Wheel’ Warning

In a 2020 interview, Princess Anne issued what was widely interpreted as a warning to the younger royals—a group that includes William—against radical change.

“I’m already at the stage, ‘Please do not reinvent that particular wheel.’ We’ve been there, done that; some of these things don’t work. You may need to go back to basics,” she stated, emphasizing that many “modern” solutions to royal duties have already been tried by previous generations.

This pragmatic viewpoint suggests that while Anne fully supports William as the future King, she is keen for him to build upon established royal structures rather than completely dismantling them in the pursuit of modernization.

 A Clash of Work Ethics?

More recently, royal insiders have suggested a slight tension between Anne’s traditional, heavy-volume work ethic and William’s stated desire for a smaller, more focused monarchy.

Princess Anne is consistently the royal who performs the highest number of annual engagements. Reports have suggested that she is, at times, “annoyed” that William does not take on more of the routine, but vital, “bread-and-butter” duties, such as hosting investiture ceremonies at Windsor Castle, despite living nearby.

However, experts also stress that this is a generational difference in defining “duty”:

• Anne’s View: Dedication means being “seen to be believed” and taking on high-volume, ceremonial engagements.

• William’s View: Focusing on a “limited number of high-impact engagements” to ensure the monarchy remains relevant in a modern context.

 Mutual Respect and Undying Support

Despite any minor differences in approach, the underlying message is clear: Princess Anne remains fiercely supportive of Prince William’s future reign. She is known to be fond of her nephew and admires his commitment to his family and the Crown.

Anne views William as a man of duty, a quality she values above all else. When the time comes, the Royal Family’s “most dependable lieutenant” will undoubtedly be by her nephew’s side, ensuring a smooth transition built on the time-tested traditions she champions, even as he navigates the necessary path to modernization.