This article on Prince William and the young royals is published in issue 49 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until 3 December 2024.
If the holidays planned are the famous Scottish ones of Balmoral, from King Charles and Camilla, some rules of etiquette are to be expected, perhaps in the polite form of a gentle reminder (actually an absolute obligation) delivered a few weeks in advance by a diligent Crown employee.
But for the Windsor family gathering last summer, it has now become known, a new rule had been added: young guests from Elizabeth’s beloved castle, in addition to the probable dress code country chicthey would have been asked “not to post photos on their social networks regarding the private family holiday, during the entire stay”.
The first news is that the tribe teen Real has grown well, and now deserves its own social protocol. In fact, with a map of the castle in hand, the very young people present in Scotland at the home of the convalescent Charles could have formed an Olympic team, there must have been at least ten. With Camilla’s five grandchildren in full force – it seems that Carlo adores them -. Their names are Lola, Freddy, Eliza and the twins Louis and Gus, blond like her, all boys between 14 and 16 who would have joined the not so much anymore baby George, now eleven years old (he has no social account: there are dozens of them, all fake).
Simple chronicle of privacy-conscious country aristocrats? Not only that. The new generations of royalty in Europe will soon be the answer to this question: What meaning can monarchies in Europe find today? Even they, the royals, are asking themselves this more than ever, and the opinion of their subjects is unexpected: only 58 percent of English people – last questioned after Charles’ coronation – think, for example, that the United Kingdom should still have a monarchy. A little, and downhill.
In 2020 it was 65 percent, not to mention Elizabeth’s plebiscites, which even inannus horribilis 1992 with three of his children on the path to divorce, including the heir to the throne, and Windsor Castle going up in flames scored 88 percent: people who considered the Crown a good thing for the country. So there is some work for Prince William, who has a lot to change. But if we move north, to the Scandinavian countries, the citizens’ opinion changes: in Norway, for example, despite the not very calm royal news lately, over 70 percent want and appreciate the king, similar figures in Denmark.
A huge challenge for the new royal generations: surviving in consensus, possibly not reduced to operetta figurines who simply wave from the balcony. All graduates, all trained, (almost) all busy, idleness banned, tantrums too. Here are the future heights to keep an eye on.
the English triad
Actually Prince William’s new English era has already begunfor example, someone missed the significance of his statement during his visit to the Red Cross in London in February, when he broke the protocol that keeps the English royals away from political issues: «I am deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in Middle East after the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many people have been killed,” said the future king of England. “I, like many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for greater humanitarian support in Gaza.” Therefore, father’s son, but also mother’s son. It is certainly not an oversight or a gaffe, and the repeated emphasis on the word humanity says a lot about William’s interests, which like those of Kate, expected at Christmas for an almost official return, are increasingly interested in social commitment.
But a new figure has recently been added to the two “ex-boyfriends” who an exhausting year in every respect has catapulted into the ranks of senior royalty: all eyes are on Lady Louise Windsor, “the second Kate”. Just twenty-one years old, Louise, by choice of her parents Edward, Elizabeth’s fourth child, and Sophie of Edinburgh does not have the title of princess (that is, she will work to live) but she embodies various elements of the traditional English monarchy (where can you find another girl who is so passionate about racing in a carriage like her grandfather Filippo, who in fact adored her), but also her evolution. In William’s future reign she will certainly have a place, the Welsh people appreciate her very much and consider her “a real asset”. Perhaps it is no coincidence that she also attends the same university where they met, and where she recently fell in love: the newly engaged Felix Da Silva-Clamp, schoolmate and commonerin his free time from studying he makes ice creams in a bar (he probably doesn’t pay our tuition: around 50 thousand euros a year between studies, accommodation and living away from home).
She too, the Gen Z version of Kate, has already worked in a nursery in Scotland for 9 euros an hour, causing sales of begonias to soar. And she celebrated her 21st birthday a few weeks ago with friends like any other student. Like Mary Poppins, which she somewhat resembles, she is practically perfect.
Amalia’s tulips
So discreet that the Spaniards realized they had had her as a guest in Madrid for over a year just this November, when she gave the city a garden of tulips (it is near the Teatro Real), orange like her name: Caterina Amalia of Orange -Nassau, the most smiling of the heirs to the throne had expatriated for appropriately vague security reasons, threatened at home, but she would also have worked in a bar and does not want to be paid as working royal. Nice air, ready spirit, in reality she has some regal passion but hides it very well (antique diamond tiaras of her great-grandmothers, for example: she seems to dote on her).
After all, the Dutch royal family has been presenting itself in a modern way for some time, the look is the most easy-going in Europe, they go wild to the stadium and go around on bicycles. Efforts only partially repaid: approval is stationary at 55 percent of Dutch people who prefer the monarchy to the republic (Statista survey 2024).
Northern lights and shadows
Another country that glimpses a queen in the future: Norway, where the heir to the throne is Ingrid Alexandra. The promising eldest daughter of Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit will ascend after her father. But the sky is stormy. Even if her cousin Leah cheers up the family as a beauty influencer on TikTok to everyone’s delight – no prohibitions, her mother Märtha Louise also posted dancing -, at court the problems are accumulating, very serious ones: within a few days the new husband of Princess Märtha Louise, the American “shaman” Durek Verrett, was accused of sexual harassment by a man, and Marius, Mette-Marit’s son who grew up with her and the future king Haakon was arrested on November 18 on rape charges. His residence was also searched. “Sometimes life is just very difficult,” commented the king. “It’s something everyone can experience, including our family.”
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Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
