Work harder: The challenge facing William and Kate after Harry’s return

All eyes are on how the Prince and Princess of Wales will handle the arrival of the Sussexes back in the UK. William and Kate do not want to discuss the return of Prince Harry and Megha, Duchess of Sussex publicly, even though it could affect them. But royal insiders and commentators suggest it could push the Waleses to try to raise their profile even further through their work. When the late Queen was alive, some royal aides were critical of the couple’s work ethic in private and William was even called work-shy in his younger years after going on holiday rather than attending an official event – although many dismissed the label as unfair. With fewer working royals, the heir’s public engagement tally continues to be scrutinised. But Kensington Palace officials have always stressed that William and Kate want to concentrate on quality and not quantity. The Waleses’ diaries are understood to be filled up to Christmas and beyond. Kate will be increasing her number of solo engagements but also joint duties with William, whose late grandmother famously believed that as Queen she had to be seen to be believed. Shorts As in other parts of the Royal Household, aides shy away from the suggestion that any of this is a direct response to the Sussexes’ return but it is the classic Buckingham Palace reaction to send out a message that the working royals will be knuckling down and trying to focus attention on their official work. Cynics doubted, for example, that it was a coincidence that at almost the exact time on Wednesday that Harry and Meghan landed in Birmingham with their children, Buckingham Palace sent out an announcement, embargoed for later in the afternoon, about the King and Queen going on a Caribbean tour. Risk of being overshadowed Harry and Meghan will remain private individuals, but the whiff of controversy over everything they do and the consequent media and public interest in their charity work, business activities and, potentially, a glamorous acting role for the Duchess of Sussex risks overshadowing William and Kate and the other working royals. The couple, who take every school holiday off with their children and undertake fewer duties than some senior royals, have faced criticism of their workload and now face renewed scrutiny and comparisons with the Sussexes. Commentators have warned about the danger of rival courts emerging and urged the Waleses to rise to the challenge and showcase the best of the monarchy while ensuring that Kate’s health remains the family’s priority. Still, the couple won’t respond with a blockbuster tour of engagements and ribbon-cuttings to fill up column inches and steal the limelight. There may be a few engagements with the King Charles to emphasise that he and his older son, and heir to the throne, are in lockstep on prioritising the official work of the monarchy, according to commentators. The media and public interest in Harry and Meghan could overshadow William and Kate (Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AFP) ‘A bit of competition helps everyone improve’ Andrew Morton, who has written biographies of William and Meghan, among others, in addition to his groundbreaking 1992 work, Diana: Her True Story, believes the inevitable comparisons with the Sussexes will force the Windsor-based Waleses to up their game. “They will be crossing each other on the M4. There are going to be obvious comparisons with what Harry and Meghan are doing,” he said, referring to reports that the Sussexes are moving to a home in the Cotswolds. “We live in a capitalist society. A bit of competition helps everyone improve.” Morton noted that William and Kate are doing far fewer engagements than older royals such as the King, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward and Sophie. He adds that Diana “was doing four or five engagements a week”. While their only public duties since early July have been to attend Wimbledon and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, it is understood they have been working behind the scenes for much of the time planning future activities with staff. In fact, they are both doing more engagements than last year and that increase in work is set to continue into the autumn and winter. Patricia Treble, a Canadian royal commentator who chronicles the family’s daily duties, said William undertook 130 engagements in the first half of the year, a 21 per cent rise on the previous year and his highest tally since 2021. In the same period Kate completed 60 engagements, 82 per cent higher than in 2025. Treble suggested they might need to be seen more to counter the Sussexes. “They could do more. If I were them, I’d be thinking about a few engagements with glamour. “I think it’s likely there will be a few joint engagements for the King and William. That’s something to watch out for.” A former royal aide agreed. “That wouldn’t surprise me.” What William and Kate will do next Charles, 77, has stressed that, while he is looking forward to seeing more of Harry and family, there can be no return to official royal duties for the Sussexes while they are making money commercially. William, also increasingly in lockstep with the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, on their joint ambition to end the scourge of rough sleeping and homelessness, has been contacted by local authorities around the country interested in replicating his work, even though homelessness is still rising in four of his six Homewards pilot locations after three years of the five-year project. Kate, focused on her long-term mission to encourage Britain to give children a better start in the first five years of life, is tipped to join William on a trip to India for his Earthshot Prize in Mumbai in November, where the couple may also undertake diplomatic duties on behalf of the Foreign Office to bolster ties between Britain and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. When Charles was a similar age, he did up to 16 foreign trips per year, but the only request from the Foreign Office for William so far this year has been to visit Saudi Arabia to forge personal ties with the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In the coming weeks there will be renewed scrutiny of William and Kate and any perceived tensions or comparisons with the Sussexes, but it will be a taboo subject outside the walls of Kensington Palace and the Waleses’ home at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park. “It’s just not something we’re going to discuss (publicly),” a royal aide said.