Queen’s monarchy facing major shake up as Prince William ‘ditches’ famous rule

The Queen’s monarchy is facing a potential major shake up as Prince William is reportedly eager to ditch her famous royal rule.

• Following the controversy surrounding Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Caribbean tour, the future King is said to be keen for a shake-up.
• It’s claimed Prince William wants to abandon a longstanding rule the Queen follows.
• This royal news comes as there’s double heartache for the Queen as she faces two devastating days in a row.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Caribbean tour might have given fans some adorable moments from their “flirty” dance moves to breaking a royal rule over selfies, but the future King and Queen Consort weren’t met with universal delight throughout their trip. The tour saw them visit Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas as slavery reparation protests went ahead. Meanwhile colonialism and republicanism were matters of great debate as eyebrows were raised by the decision to undertake the tour, described by some as “tone deaf”. 

In a rare move, William went on to address republicanism and the future of the commonwealth further in an enlightening speech on their final night in The Bahamas. And it seems he’s apparently keen to abandon one of the Queen’s famous royal rules…

During an event hosted by the Bahamian governor-general, the Duke of Cambridge reinforced that he and Kate were there to “serve” the commonwealth.

He explained, "Catherine and I are committed to service. For us that's not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have."

“Next year, I know you are all looking forward to celebrating 50 years of independence - your Golden Anniversary. And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of independence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this," he went on to add. 

“We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures."

The nature of this message in light of the controversy could be seen to have broken with one of the Queen’s unofficial mottos. The phrase “never complain, never explain” has long been associated with The Firm. This approach means that royals should aim to remain neutral and limit responses to criticism.

“The prince believes that for him, the days of 'never complain' are over. He definitely won’t be speaking out regularly but believes if the monarchy has something to say, then it should say it,” a source alleged to the Daily Mail.

The source added, "He's not being critical of the Queen, far from it. He admires her absolutely and has learnt so much from her. But he is looking ahead to how things will be in 40 years' time. He wants the monarchy to continue to be a unifying force, to bridge the gap."

"He listens to people, he really does, and has got a very clear vision for the future. He's very alive to what is modern and relevant and is very thoughtful," they continued. "He wants to take his grandmother's success and build on it, his way."

The Duke of Cambridge's message could be seen to suggest a desire to move away from the stoicism of the past. And as he continues to prepare for his future role, William could perhaps be seen to break with tradition yet again as he forges his own path.