Royal aides try and ease fears about Prince William’s faith

Sources near the Prince of Wales have attempted to allay concerns that he has no real interest in his future role as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Prince William will tackle those roles when he becomes king, nevertheless to this point he has never publicly expressed a private Christian faith of any kind.

By contrast his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, was known for her personal and publicly stated Christian faith. Similarly, his father, King Charles III, while sometimes criticised for his past “defender of religion” remark and openness to other religions, has at all times been a private adherent to the Christian faith.

An unnamed aide has now reportedly told The Sunday Times that Prince William has a “quiet” faith and that he wishes to construct a “strong and meaningful bond with the Church and its leadership”. Such phrasing in fact doesn’t commit to private faith and will raise questions on the affinity he feels with the Church he’ll sooner or later be charged with representing.

The aide said, “The Prince of Wales’s commitment to the Church of England is usually quieter than people expect, and for that reason it shouldn’t be at all times fully understood. Those who know him well recognise that his connection to the Church, and to the sense of duty that comes with it, runs deep and is grounded in something personal and sincere.”

The comments come ahead of the formal installation of Dame Sarah Mullally as the primary female Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, which the Prince might be attending. 

While the private lives and views of the royals are to a big extent shrouded in mystery, past reports have suggested that Prince William is remarkably cool towards faith.

Robert Hardman, in his book The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, recounts being told by a senior palace figure, “His [William’s] father is a really spiritual person and blissful to speak about faith, however the Prince shouldn’t be. He doesn’t go to church every Sunday, but then nor do a big majority of the country. He might go at Easter and Christmas, but that is it.”

Commenting on this apparent lack of interest within the spiritual, Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, has previously said, “William doesn’t show any signs of being alive to the vibrancy of Christian faith. And in that sense, he may be very representative of his generation.”

He added, “I feel he either has to just accept the indisputable fact that this can be a role he plays, whether he likes it or not, which is an element actually of the burden of monarchy, or if he feels that strongly and he cannot do it, then step aside and abdicate and see if there’s any individual else within the Royal succession who can.”