WITH THE PRINCESS STILL RECOVERING FROM SURGERY THE PRINCE OF WALES HOW WILLIAM IS STEPPING UP TO MEET THE CHALLENGE AFTER THE KING'S CANCER DIAGNOSIS

Nine months after he swore to be his father’s liege man of life and limb, the Prince of Wales’s solemn coronation promise has never been more important.

-  EMILY NASH

As the King takes a step back from public-facing duties to undergo treatment for cancer, he will rely on his elder son and heir to represent him and the monarchy when required, just as he did for his mother Elizabeth II.

IN AT THE DEEP END

So as Prince William spends time with his wife and three children over half-term, he will have much on his mind.

“I think William has certainly realised this and the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He’s going to be the King at some stage,” royal author Robert Jobson tells hello!.

“The expectation is on William’s shoulders and he must be feeling rather like Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth when she was 25, suddenly being catapulted into this job which becomes all consuming.”

While the King is continuing to carry out his constitutional duties, William may step in to carry out in-person engagements, which the monarch has been advised to postpone during his treatment.

Father and son are in “constant contact”, a Palace source tells hello!, and while they will meet when they can, there will be no fuss or public announcement. They prefer to keep family matters firmly private.