King Charles Sets Crucial Meeting With Prince William Over Future of the Monarchy

King Charles III reportedly plans to hold a “royal summit” with his heir, Prince William, and the prince’s wife, Kate Middleton, to make some crucial decisions for the future of the British royal family. Sources close to the royals told reporters from The Mirror that the king wants to nail down some specifics on the roles they will all play in the years to come. They also said that the king wants to use Prince William and Middleton’s “star quality” to work on the family’s public image.

The sources said that the king hopes to have his royal summit soon at Balmoral Castle – the royal family’s home in Scotland. The king himself arrived there on Monday and he wants his heir to join him. They said: “His Majesty is very clear. The Commonwealth must be at the very heart of his reign. He sees it as his utmost duty to fulfill the sincere wish of his late mother, that one of his central roles must be to ensure not only the survival but the robustness [of the organization.]”

The king reportedly intends to get Prince William and Middleton on the same page as himself and Queen Camilla, uniting them all behind the same objectives and goals, and then working together to decide how to reach them. He hopes to set the tone “for at least the next year,” hinting that these kinds of meetings might become more common as his reign goes on. A source said that the king believes Prince William and Middleton are “at the heart of cementing their own future and that of the monarchy at large.”

They also mentioned “the princess’ undoubted star quality,” referencing some polls that show that Middleton is popular around the world. This is important as the king reportedly intends to discuss travel plans with the Cambridges, and he himself has some big trips planned in the months to come as well. The king will travel to Kenya next month for the anniversary of his mother’s death, visiting the place where she learned of her father’s death in 1952. A source said that the king “hopes to use the symbolism tied into his mother’s legacy to offer a hand of friendship, which might get harder as the years go by.”

The royal family has not commented publicly on these reports and there have been no official announcements of a “royal summit.” For many admirers, the role of the royal family in modern life is still largely symbolic.