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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s surprise announcement at the beginning of the month that they would be “stepping down” as senior royals has left William and his wife Kate with even greater
responsibilities within the Royal Family. While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been enthusiastically praised by many royal commentators for their polished public performances despite
the family drama, the couple did once face criticism for not taking on enough royal duties. William was even dubbed a “reluctant royal” after a 2016 investigation revealed he carried out
204 official engagements in one year, compared to the Queen’s astonishing 385 and Princess Anne’s whopping 640 official duties. Many critics thought that as he is second-in-line to the
throne he should be at the forefront of the Royal Family. However, in 2017 it was revealed he would be stepping down from his career as an Air Ambulance pilot to become a full-time working
royal. One of William’s friends told The Sunday Times in January 2017: “Some people may question why William still won’t do as much as Princess Anne, but he is dead set on not queering his
father’s pitch. “He sees that Charles will probably be in his 70s before he becomes king and he doesn’t want to be seen as elbowing his father out the way.” The source added William’s time
away from the spotlight will have helped him. They said: “Because [William and Kate] have had those few years of having a happy family life, it has given the Duke the foundation to move into
this next phase. So he doesn’t feel he is jumping off a cliff.” Prior to his time with the Air Ambulance, William had spent more than seven years with the military service – three of those
years with the RAF search and rescue helicopter team. READ MORE: PRINCE PHILIP’S SHOCKED REACTION TO QUEEN CLAIMING THRONE EXPOSED The Duke of Cambridge did point out the he takes duty and
his responsibilities as a future monarch “very seriously”, but that it is “about finding your own way at the right time” so that you can develop into the role properly. A source told The
Sunday Times in 2017 there was “no pressure from above” to make William step up in his royal role. However they added: “William knew there would come a point where this would be his life for
ever more. “He has always been a lot less reluctant than people think to take on more work and this phase of his life.” Apparently, William was quite attached to his more normal life in
Norfolk, where he enjoyed life away from the spotlight. Yet, the source explained: “This is a natural evolution of the new generation of the Royal Family.” Speaking to Mr Witchell, the royal
also admitted that he would be “the first person” to accept more responsibilities from the Queen when she begins relinquishing some of her patronages. In 2017, the Queen gave up 25 of these
commitments, leaving William the patron of Welsh Rugby Union, the Amateur Swimming Association and the Royal African Society.”