Role Model Royals

As we celebrate William and Kate’s 10th wedding anniversary, Juliet Rieden asks: can the close-knit Cambridge five steady the royal ship with their duty, dignity and family values?

- Juliet Rieden

IN the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, the spotlight falls glaringly on the Cambridge family to keep the British (and Australian) monarchy moving forward. More than ever, Prince William, Catherine and their three children are seen as the – hopefully – shining future of what, as The Weekly goes to press, is a royal family under attack.

It’s pertinent that the first member of the House of Windsor to publicly deny the shocking claim of racism within the royal family that Harry and Meghan alluded to in their interview was Prince William. He and Catherine were visiting a school in East London when a reporter shouted: “Is the royal family racist, Sir?”.

Off-the-cuff media questions are frowned upon by royal aides and consequently usually ignored, but a frustrated William spoke from the heart. “We’re very much not a racist family,” he replied. That response echoed around the world in seconds. In just seven words, William had begun to redress the damage wrought by his younger brother.

The progression of this couple since their majestic Westminster Abbey wedding on a glorious spring afternoon on April 29, 2011, has been a powerful example of how at best the monarchy can grow and flourish.

While Kate took a while to hit her stride, in the past two years, the prince and the duchess have both shifted up a gear, with many spying the qualities of leadership, diplomacy, confidence and quiet charisma that point to the sort of king and queen consort they will one day be.