Prince William, Kate Middleton represent future
LONDON, England
Kate Middleton's fame is undeniable. She is already one of the
world's most talked-about women, and that will only increase when
she marries Prince William next month. But her royal role remains
completely undefined, and much rests on her slender shoulders.
If her marriage to Prince William is a joyous union that
produces heirs, not tears and recrimination, the young couple could
put the somewhat shaky British monarchy on solid footing for
generations to come. But if it collapses into a replay of Prince
Charles' I-hate-you-I-hate-you-more donnybrook with Lady Di, the
impact on the House of Windsor would be grave.
Journalism professor and newspaper columnist Roy Greenslade said
William and Middleton must rebuild public trust that has been
eroded by heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles -- because of his failed
marriage and perceived eccentricities -- and by scandal-bound Prince
Andrew. The British public still reveres the queen, he said, but
has doubts about her four children, including Princess Anne, who is
divorced, and the nondescript Prince Edward.
"The glue that holds the monarchy together is the queen, but
there is a great deal more skepticism and even cynicism about the
next generation," he said. "You have a dysfunctional family, so
it really falls on William and Kate to actually be an upright
couple that can engage with the public and be glamorous at the same
time. It's fine with the queen on the throne, and Charles won't
reign for long, so it really does fall to the next generation to
rescue them."
Restoring the frayed bond between crown and subjects is vital,
Greenslade said, because the monarchy will suffer a substantial
blow when the queen dies, and also faces the very real threat that
Australians will decide to sever ties to the British monarch in the
next decade, likely giving republicans in Britain a boost.
That's a lot of pressure for a young woman who already faces the
formidable task of marrying into a rather imposing family.
She will be expected to support William as he takes on more
royal duties -- like his trip this week to Australia and New
Zealand, where he is serving as the queen's representative.
Middleton will also serve as an articulate (and photogenic) link
between the public and the royals even as she tries to master the
mysteries of married life.
"Her prime objective is to become a wife, and a good wife,"
said Dickie Arbiter, a former royal spokesman who expects Middleton
to give up her nightclubbing ways once she becomes a princess on
April 29.
"People are judged by what they do," he said. "She knows what
is expected of her when she marries into the royal family. There is
an element of royal duty that is expected of her, just as it was of
Princess Diana, and she knows that."
The British public expects its royals to earn their keep with a
nonstop series of appearances in exchange for the considerable
benefits the royals receive each year.
Arbiter said Middleton is likely to take up charity work in
earnest, picking the causes she really wants to promote, but could
instead decide to put everything on hold and concentrate on
starting a family. He said the royal couple won't need a "getting
to know you" phase because they have already lived together for
some time in the years since their romance started in college.
To say there would be strong public interest in her children is
an understatement.
It seems like a distant memory from a more innocent age, but
there really was a national outpouring of joy when Princess Diana
gave birth to William in 1982, giving the nation a new future king
and extending the royal family's continuity to a new generation.
Middleton's first male child -- or her first daughter, if there
are no sons -- would also be a likely future monarch who would
follow William to the throne.
Parliament has briefly discussed changing the rules in the name
of gender equality so that William and Middleton's first born child
would keep his or her place in the line of succession regardless of
whether it is a boy or a girl, but the rules giving males
preference are likely to remain unchanged.
It is not easy to change the rules, even if they are antiquated
by today's standards, because so many Commonwealth nations that
recognize the queen as head of state would have to give their
assent.
There has long been speculation that William hopes to modernize
and streamline the British monarchy, which clings to its traditions
and prerogatives more than most of its counterparts throughout the
world, but the likely future king has not spoken out in public
about his plans and goals.
To do so would be seen as a major breach of protocol, since his
grandmother is the reigning monarch and his father is next in line.
It may be many years before William gets the chance to make major
changes, and of course he may change his views as he moves into
middle age.
Little is known publicly about William's personal views, in part
because he has been very guarded with the press, which he blames
for hounding his late mother in her final years.
In a legal sense, Middleton will not have a constitutional role
in British affairs until she becomes queen, which can only happen
when William takes the throne as king, an event likely to be far in
the future since William's father, Prince Charles, is ahead of him
in the line of succession.
In practical terms, Middleton may be a princess for decades, but
her status as a likely future queen will focus extra attention on
everything she says and does, just as it did with Diana, who
promoted on numerous charities during her long years in the public
eye.
There seems to be abundant public goodwill for William and
Middleton as they near the altar. Some people say they are bored
with the upcoming event -- and tired of all the publicity and
speculation about dress designers, guest lists and the like -- but
there does not seem to be hostility directed toward the couple, who
are seen as genuinely committed to one another, not just faking it
for the cameras.
Keiren Buchanan, a Londoner who works in communications, said
Britons have warm feelings for William that should smooth things
out for Middleton as she adjusts to life inside the royal goldfish
bowl.
She believes Middleton should concentrate her energy initially
on charitable works designed to ease the burden for Britons who
have suffered because of the global economic downturn.
"Kate Middleton should bring it back to Britain, start in her
own backyard and really focus on the most pressing issues here,
whether it's about homelessness or poverty," she said. "There are
a lot of economic issues here."
So Middleton's top tasks are simple come April 30: Rejuvenate
the monarchy, end poverty in Britain, have kids, and make sure her
marriage is a success.