Prince William Under Fire as Royal Fans Spot Embarrassing Detail in His Calendar: 'What a Machine!'
Prince William took a nearly two-month-long break from work and was back to royal duty in September. With Prince Harry in London on a highly publicised visit on September 10, William packed in 4 consecutive days of royal engagements and avoided meeting his brother. Thereafter, the US President Donald Trump's state visit kept the entire royal family on their toes. To eagle-eyed royal observers, this looked like more than just a coincidence. Once Harry and Trump flew back, William’s royal diary cleared overnight, and for the upcoming two weeks, he has no official appearances or events.
A netizen took to Reddit and shared a screenshot of William's public engagements page on the royal family website and remarked, "When you search up William's engagements for this week and the next, there is nothing there.” Others piled on quickly. One sarcastically said, “The Princess Royal is doing multiple engagements a day. What a machine! Pity she wasn't the eldest child.” Another chimed, “He only did a few because Harry was in town, period. He’s lazy and entitled and doesn’t care about his job, just the perks of the job.”
When you search up William's engagements for this week and the next.
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As the comments poured in, another sarcastically added, “Give the guy a break! Didn’t he work four days when Harry was in England? Four days in a row is exhausting, and he will now need some time off.” A tongue-in-cheek comment also read, “He would’ve been back at work in December, but the children have their Christmas break, so Wills will be back in January 2026.” In a similar vein, one remarked, "Unless it’s church walks, tennis, or football. We won’t see him!"
But for royal watchers, the timing was what was interesting. Harry’s visit had been announced long in advance, and William’s sudden burst of activity, followed by a suspiciously quiet fortnight, only fueled speculation that he had no intention of crossing paths with his estranged brother or was directly trying to compete with him. The optics don't look good for William. With King Charles stepping back due to ongoing health concerns, the expectation has been that William would shoulder more of the load. Instead, his light schedule has only drawn sharper comparisons.
Royal commentator Camilla Tominey previously reported that Palace aides have grown frustrated with William and Kate Middleton’s 'cautious' approach to public duties. Even before her cancer, Middleton was dubbed by Palace staff as a 'part-time royal,' while William was said to prioritize passion projects like the Earthshot Prize or overseas football tournaments over bread-and-butter engagements at home. “Courtiers are fuming,” Tominey said at the time, pointing to the couple’s reluctance to expand their workload.
Meanwhile, Princess Anne continues to be the monarchy’s engine. Last year, she carried out 474 engagements, more than anyone else in the family. Reports suggest she has even been stepping in to lead investiture ceremonies at Windsor Castle, despite William living only a short drive away at Adelaide Cottage. “Anne’s commitment is beyond doubt,” a Palace insider noted. “But she is human. The sense she’s covering for William’s reluctance is very real.”