King Charles has given Prince William his blessing to “prioritise” his family over The Firm in the wake of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis, reports The Telegraph.
Daily Express US reached out to royal expert Tom Quinn, author of Gilded Youth: The Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, to ask him about the decision-making process, with Mr Quinn saying, “I think there is a choice when it comes to family or work.”
There are two main variables that may help when making a decision like this, says Quinn, the first being time and the second being change, which he elaborates on.
Mr Quinn says: “The fact that the emphasis has shifted so that the Royal family no longer thinks it has to sacrifice everything to duty is significant.”
He adds: “So today, when the importance of emotional relationships has greatly increased, it will be perfectly acceptable, even for a member of the royal family, to be seen to putting their family first.”
READ MORE: Prince William given ‘wake-up call he is going to be monarch’ as he returns to work
William took a three-week leave to be with his wife, Princess Kate, who underwent abdominal surgery, followed by two weeks of bed rest. Also, his father, King Charles, had prostate surgery the same week.
William returned to his royal duties earlier than expected, just this past week, soon after learning Charles was diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment.
Charles is optimistic about the prognosis but is concerned William may be overwhelmed by all of the extra weight he is taking on and Charles is going out of his way to be “protective” of his son, it’s being said.
He may be basing this on his own experiences, growing up a prince and heir to the throne, and the pressures that come with such highly visible roles.
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Quinn, who has done an exploration of growing up royal in his latest book, says, “Charles knows that his mother’s total devotion to work was definitely at the expense of her family – Charles himself has said that his mother was not really around for him when he was a child.”
He adds: “I think this also fits Charles’s own view of monarchy – he himself has been quite relaxed and has not tried to compete with his mother in terms of the amount of work that he does.”
Royal or not, people like to have choices, and when that happens, it tends to make the decision a little bit easier — to see — and, to make.
William has only just return to work, and Charles is still handling his constitutional duties, so, for the time being, it seems like the decision can be put on hold.
