After what can only be described as the monarchy's most turbulent year since the whole "annus horribilis" saga in the '90s, Prince William has emerged from the ashes of 2024 as the crown's unexpected MVP, channeling his late grandmother's legendary stoicism with precision. In fact, one royal author is calling William the "reincarnation" of Queen Elizabeth.
After both his wife and father were diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of 2024, the Prince of Wales told journalists that it had been "dreadful" and "the hardest year in my life."
Add in Prince Andrew's Chinese spy scandal and Queen Camilla's bout with ill health at the end of the year—along with the death of Lady Gabriella Windsor's husband, Thomas Kingston—and you have one difficult 2024. But despite the challenges the Royal Family faced last year, William stepped up to represent the U.K. and take care of Princess Kate, too.
"The Prince of Wales is royalty’s new rock, a reincarnation of his late grandmother, the steadfast anchor who changed it up with designer stubble when his wife was out of action, a woman’s man who unambiguously declared 2024 more than brutal, in fact the toughest year of his life," royal biographer Dr. Tessa Dunlop wrote in the Independent.
Indeed, like his grandmother before him, Prince William has mastered that classic royal move of keeping calm and carrying on. "The nation fell in love with Diana’s firstborn all over again," Dunlop wrote. "We had forgotten how tall he is, and how comfortable he is in his own skin."
Last fall, the Prince of Wales said that when it came to juggling royal duties and taking care of his family, trying to "keep everything on track has been really difficult." But any behind-the-scenes struggles were pushed to the side while he tackled homelessness in the U.K., met with world leaders (including Donald Trump) in Paris and led his annual Earthshot Prize ceremony in South Africa.
The way he's handled public engagements lately—steady, dignified, with just the right touch of warmth and humor—is like watching The Queen's masterclass in royal leadership play out all over again. Maybe there's something to this whole "reincarnation" business after all.
