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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

What King William's reign will look like as he 'rips up rulebook' for 'Cambridge Way'

Their royal tour of the Caribbean may be over - but it has seemingly provided much food for thought for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince William has reportedly called an emergency summit to respond to the backlash of the tour after a series of PR blunders.

The future king is said to have told his staff the time has come for him to use his own voice and confront issues head-on in a marked change for the Royal Family

And now not only will William be reflecting on the tour, sources suggest he has also been doing a lot of thinking about how long-held protocols can be modernised when he ascends the throne.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge at the office of the Prime Minister at Jamaica House (London Entertainment/REX/Shutterstock)

The Sun even reports that William aims to “rip up the rulebook” and ditch old-fashioned methods to show they are modern royals - in what has been dubbed the "Cambridge Way".

So what could this look like? Here we take a look...

No more never complain, never explain

One of the mantras the Royal Family seems to live by is "never complain, never explain".

It has been adopted by the Queen for much of her reign, but William could be ready to ditch this when he becomes King.

Wills and Kate are the future of the Royal Family (Getty Images)

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According to the Daily Mail, William is said to respect the approach favoured by the Queen but thinks the royals should be "agile" if they are to survive.

A source told the newspaper: "The prince believes that for him, the days of 'never complain' are over. He definitely won't be speaking out regularly but believes if the monarchy has something to say, then it should say it.

"He listens to people, he really does and has got a very clear vision for the future. He's very alive to what is modern and relevant and is very thoughtful. He wants to take his grandmother's success and build on it, his way."

William and Kate greet children in Trench Town, Jamaica (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

While an insider told the Sun : "They were bruised by attacks that their Caribbean trip harked back to the colonial age. In future, they will rip up the rulebook and do things ‘The Cambridge Way’. They’re trying to work out what that will look like."

So could we have already seen a sign of things to come with William's post-tour statement?

There has been some unfavourable commentary surrounding the optics of the decision by him and Kate to shake the outstretched hands of children behind a metal fence in Trench Town, Jamaica.

Then on Thursday before departing the country, choosing to ride around in an open-top Land Rover was considered a clunky homage to the Queen doing the same in the 1960s.

The royal couple at a military parade in Jamaica last week (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

Keen to use his own voice and confront the issues head-on, he drafted an unprecedented statement about the future of the Commonwealth.

In the extraordinary soul-searching statement, William said he accepted his future will be shaped by how he and wife Kate are perceived around the world, not their royal standing.

A senior palace source said of William: “He was keen to be heard and certainly thought there was a need to get ahead of the raft of negative headlines.

“He said he needed to make it clear that any of the Caribbean nations he had visited were totally free and completely supported in any decision they may make in the future to choose their own destiny."

Far fewer staff - and core causes only

William and Kate during an evening reception in Belize last week (PA)

Another way William is said to be planning to shake up the monarchy is by having far fewer staff.

According to the Sun, he and Kate will have just half the estimated 137 staff that currently work for his father Charles to "create a more cost-effective and less formal team".

And with less staff, this means that William and Kate will reportedly focus on fewer causes rather than spread themselves too thinly.

These causes may only total five or six but would be "comfortable and credible".

Shorter trips abroad

Kate chops wood on a visit to the Forest Kindergarten in Copenhagen last month (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Another thing that may become a thing of the past under William's watch is long tours abroad.

Tours, like the one to the Caribbean that lasted a week, might be axed in favour of shorter trips overseas - with only one royal embarking on them.

The Sun points to Kate's recent trip to Copenhagen last month as an example of this.

On that trip, Kate spent just two days in the Danish capital promoting her early years' development work while having an audience with the Queen of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

Similarly, William travelled to Dubai in February for just one day to appear at the Dubai Expo.

They were both deemed huge successes and the itineraries were more focused to fit in with their current charity projects.

Slimmed-down monarchy

The royals at Trooping the Colour in 2019 (AFP via Getty Images)

Since his birth almost 40 years ago, it has always been William's destiny to be a future King.

However, his reign could still be a long way off as his grandmother the Queen is still alive - and his father Charles is heir to the throne.

Charles has been their heir for almost 70 years and there has been much speculation about his plans for the future of the monarchy - which William will inherit and form the basis of his early reign.

Charles' plans for a slimmed-down monarchy when he takes the throne are well known, and he's reportedly looking to have a team of seven senior royals - not including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle or Prince Andrew.

He also reportedly plans to give people greater access to the royal palaces when he becomes king.

Charles wants Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral to be transformed from "private spaces to public places", according to The Sunday Times.

The newspaper said the heir to the throne wants these royal residences to open more widely for longer periods during the year.

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