William, Kate prepare for role as Britain's king, queen amid Charles failing health: Report

Concerns over the failing health of British monarch King Charles III have reportedly sped up preparations for crown prince William and his wife Kate Middleton to assume their future roles as king and queen.

Trying time

Charles, 76, has cut down on his royal duties after he announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

The year had been equally trying for William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, due to the latter’s diagnosis and battle with cancer.

The royal palace has not revealed the type of cancer both Charles and Kate are being treated for.

Also read: Kate attends King’s birthday parade in first public appearance since cancer diagnosis

Kate was diagnosed with cancer in January and disclosed to the public in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for the same.

She spent the new few months recuperating, staying out of public eye and was first seen in the public during the King Charles’ 76th birthday celebrations in November this year.

More duties for William, Kate

Reports said she is now out of the woods and with William has resumed her public duties. This includes incorporating preparations for William’s coronation, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People Magazine.

“Although the King is carrying out his duties with typical determination, he has had to accept limitations during his cancer treatment. As a result, William has been taking on more responsibilities, and he and Kate have been preparing for their future roles sooner than they would have expected,” the magazine quoted Smith as saying.

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According to royal family sources, Charles ill-health has also prompted William to take up some of his responsibilities and attend events in his stead. The heir apparent recently attended the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

‘Succession plan fast tracked’

“They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives, and of course, Kate's health has taken priority, but it's also allowed everyone to take a step back and figure out what's important right now,” a royal family insider told People Magazine.

Reports quoting insiders also say that a formal succession plan, which was initiated for William since Charles’ coronation in May 2023, has been fast tracked due to the king’s failing health.

Also read: King Charles III not first British royal to have cancer; it runs in the family

“It is something the institution is always mindful of,” a palace source told the magazine, asserting that the preparation was part of “an institutional preparedness”.

A New York Post report quoting a source close to the royal family said that the shift in roles for William and Kate has also changed the dynamics within the royal family.

“Their circumstances will eventually change. Given what the future holds, it would be very sensible to build back slowly and prioritise family time,” the source said.