William and Kate Are Challenging Royal Norms — and It’s What Harry Would Have Wanted
The royal family’s workload has always been closely watched — how many engagements were completed and who topped the annual list of the 'hardest working' royal. King Charles and Princess Anne have long led that count. But Prince William and Kate Middleton appear to be moving away from that model, and reshaping what royal duty looks like by focusing less on volume and more on impact. Notably, this is one area where the estranged brothers, William and Prince Harry, see eye to eye.
Harry has vocalized his frustration with the monarchy’s fixation on numbers. In his memoir, Spare, he criticized the Court Circular for turning royal work into a scoreboard, saying annual tallies fuelled media comparisons about who was 'busier' and who was 'lazy.' That same thinking now appears to be shifting, as Middleton has returned to public duties in recent weeks with appearances across Scotland, Windsor, and London, but with no expectation that she match the engagement totals of older royals. Instead, the Prince and Princess of Wales are taking a different approach, focusing on fewer engagements with greater impact.
That shift, according to royal author and journalist Katie Nicholl, reflects a broader rethink among the younger generation of working royals. “What we’re seeing with the younger royals is a consolidation of their charitable efforts, and a call to action,” Nicholl told The Mirror. “They’re spreading themselves less thinly because there are fewer working royals now, so their work has to be more impactful.” The emphasis, she suggests, is not on being seen everywhere, but on ensuring that appearances lead to tangible outcomes.
William sits firmly within this 'less but better' approach. He has spoken openly in the past about wanting his work to create real change, rather than simply fulfilling ceremonial expectations. That mindset was echoed by royal editor Kate Mansey during an episode of The Royal Beat last year, where she offered insight into how William views his public role today. Speaking on the True Royalty TV programme, Mansey said the Prince of Wales “wants to come away and think, ‘I've made a difference there, there's money that's gone into that community center, or there's something that's happened because I went there,’ rather than just showing up and shaking some hands.”
And in comments that closely mirror William’s approach, Harry has also once argued that leadership should be measured by impact, not permission or appearances. “This generation isn’t waiting for permission to lead — they are already doing it,” he said, urging institutions to stop 'underestimating' younger voices and start listening.
And now, William and Middleton’s move away from engagement counts toward meaningful outcomes reflects the very shift Harry once called for —even as the brothers remain estranged.
William himself addressed this evolving approach while speaking to journalists during his visit to South Africa for the 2024 Earthshot Prize. Asked about how he views royal engagements today, the Prince of Wales was candid about his desire to break from tradition. He said he was "trying to do [things] differently" when it came to the way he carries out his role.