Prince William reportedly disappointed his colleagues due to his lack of direction in his life.
The Prince of Wales took a transitional year in 2013 and cut back on all royal engagements, signaling to the public that he takes his position in the royal family lightly.
In his book, William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, royal expert Russell Myers recounts the time when William left his role as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
“Courtiers framed the announcement as William entering a ‘transitional year,’ while carefully explaining that the prince would not necessarily be undertaking any further royal duties,” Myers reported.
“But, behind the scenes, William’s attitude was beginning to frustrate his staff, with senior aides challenging him at the risk that he could be seen as lazy, as The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were still performing royal duties in their tenth decade.”
“It appears that William’s attitude was that his grandmother had given him free rein to take his time in deciding what he wanted to do, which was based on no idea of ​​the situation from anyone else involved in trying to figure out her affairs.”
The insider added, “We would gently ask him to consider taking on more duties or specific engagements, but he would immediately back off.”
“There was deep concern in the camp that he had no strategy for his long-term future and was constantly postponing a decision about what direction he should take,” the former royal aide said.
He said, “When the annual list of engagements completed by family members was published at the end of the year, it was very embarrassing, but it had no effect on them.”
