Prince William has a lot on his plate.
The Prince of Wales finds himself at a moment of "extreme crisis" not seen since his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales' tragic death in 1997, when he was 15. The heir to the throne must now grapple with his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales,' cancer diagnosis in addition to his father, King Charles III's, same health battle. The next king must wade through it all while adhering to the duties expected of a future monarch, which would make his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, proud.
The future king now stands alone in steadying the ship of the monarchy and must do it without the help of his estranged younger brother, Prince Harry, who lives in a mansion with ex-actress Meghan Markle, in Montecito, Calif. His stepmother, Queen Camilla, along with his aunt, Princess Anne, uncle, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, are the only senior working royals in public view "for months to come."
The Princess of Wales was originally scheduled to return to front-line royal duties "after Easter." Still, insider sources in Kensington Palace, which is William and Kate's official office, now say that Her Royal Highness could be "out until September."
A royal source shared that "William is doing his best, one minute he’s doing the school run and now he is under incredible stress." They then added that His Royal Highness "is a heartbeat away from the throne and he has his beastly brother and all of this publicity floating around."
On top of this, the future king must take care of his and his princess' three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, while the future queen grapples with preventative chemotherapy treatments.
"The Prince of Wales is being tested to the extreme, which is something we all encounter at some point in our fragile lives," another palace insider stated. "I have no doubt this he will rise to the challenge, and every engagement he goes on, he will have a smile on his face and be thoroughly dedicated to the causes or concerns of those he meets."
They continued: "And he will do all of this, for months on end, with a weight on his shoulders that would send many crying to their bed in desperation. Prince William has both the compassion of his mother, but also the steely determination of the late Queen Elizabeth II. This will serve him well."
Prince William's immense stress regarding his wife's serious illness also comes amid a "ruthless and heartless" social media campaign that parodied and speculated about Princess Kate's whereabouts and health for months.
"For everybody that was speculating, shame on them, no one stopped to think that William was actually more concerned with looking after his wife and children," a royal source pointed out.
Page Six reported on the insider revelations.