William, Prince of Wales

[Ladybug]

Sunnyhorse, that was my thought as well. This week we've seen Meghan and Harry at a basketball game, then the next day William laying a wreath for ANZAC day. The day after Meghan's WME news breaks, we see the Waleses at Aberfan. It's quite a contrast. One couple is fully embracing the world of celebrity and the other is representing the crown with dignity and grace. It's a marked contrast.

[canuckcutie]

Earthshot have announced they’ll be in Singapore this November for the 2023 awards. So it looks like William & Kate will have at least one overseas trip this year.

[featherhat]

So are Harry and Meghan going to do a tour of Malaysia or Thailand at the same time or what?

I like they they are clearly going global. I've said it before but I think what makes Earthshot a little different to other charity awards shows which don't always accomplish much, is the commitment to ensuring all the finalists are able to network and meet the people who can fund their ideas (e.g. taking them to COP 26 and Davos etc) rather than just handing out £1mill every year and forgetting about the rest. And £1mill isn't much in the development of many of these projects anyway.

That and they focus on "what can be done?" rather than doom and gloom or simply backpatting.

[canuckcutie]

Prince William today launched a new program called Homewards. Inspired by Finland’s housing first policy which had virtually erased homelessness, the goal is to launch 6 pilot locations that can serve as a blueprint for the rest of the UK to follow.

The program will bring charities, local authorities and social services together to prevent homelessness rather than just provide temporary accommodation.

[tiggertoo]

Very bold and ambitious. It must be a delicate balance since royals can’t do anything perceived as political. I’m interested to read more about it. Homelessness is becoming a bigger issue in my city.

It’s funny because W and K seem to be doing more longer term big initiatives. Whereas H and M are doing the equivalent to old school royal stuff like plaque unveilings with $25 coffee cards and a free lunch and whatever else, along with award collecting, of course. What of real substance have they done? Sorry, wrong thread, I know. Just the contrast is showing up more. Aside from Invictus, what?

[Auroranorth]

I think we're going to see more of William the statesman as time goes on. Before, he was in a more constrained position as the heir to the heir and didn't want to step on his father's toes. Now he has more freedom and can take on substantial causes in a more involved way.

[royalwave]

One of the nice things about a hereditary position like this is that William can afford to think long-term. It's one benefit of separating the head of state from the electoral process. In the U.S., everyone's thinking along 2 to 6 year timelines. If William stays healthy and lives a long life, he can invest in an initiative for decades.

Harry has been described as always feeling more of a sense of urgency to get things done quickly. Make a big splash in a short timeframe. The reason given for that is because he felt he had a limited number of years where he would have a decent share of the spotlight before George, Charlotte & Louis would become the bigger draw. There was some truth to that, but if he hadn't been in it solely for the spotlight and acclaim he too would have had a good number of years to invest in substantial, long-term projects. But to do that he and Meghan would have to be the kind of people who truly cared first and foremost about making a difference, which they have proven time and again is not the case.

[gremlin45]

William says it's his life's work to end homelessness.

That's far better than Harry's tilting at windmills with his media lawsuits.

[Ginger]

It's good not to announce too many things as "your life's work" but IIRC, this is the first time William has made a declaration like that.

A lot of work clearly went into this before the announcement, and it sounds like a good project.

[ladyboy]

He could turn some of the royal residences into places more than just his family live in to start. Just an idea.