Prince William will also be dubbed “Supreme Governor of the Church of England.” But apparently he’s not particularly comfortable with, or interested in, that title.
According to a new book by Robert Hardman, which is being serialized in the Daily Mail, “it is no secret” that William “does not share the King’s sense of the spiritual, let alone the late Queen’s unshakeable devotion to the Anglican church.”
A senior palace source also tells Hardman that “His father is very spiritual and happy to talk about faith, but the Prince is not. He doesn’t go to church every Sunday, but then nor do the large majority of the country. He might go at Christmas and Easter, but that’s it. He very much respects the institutions, but he is not instinctively comfortable in a faith environment.”
Apparently, this could also impact William’s approach to the coronation. A source says that “he is less instinctively spiritual than his father so he would want something a bit more discreet.” Oh, and William is looking for a much shorter ceremony that’s “ideally an hour and ten minutes.”
Now seems like as good a time as any to note that, according to The Daily Beast, there’s also tension brewing between William and Charles over how much control Wills has in his role as heir.
“I am sure they will butt heads as Charles is allergic to anyone telling him what to do, and William is not exactly famed for his subtlety,” a former Buckingham Palace staffer explains. “But I think it is broadly seen as a productive rivalry.” , rather than a destructive one, because William respects his father’s ‘rank’ as head of The Firm.”
The former staffer adds that, “Ultimately the monarchy is a hierarchical structure based on military principles, and when push comes to shove, you have to obey orders from your superiors.”
