When Prince William assumed the title of prince of Wales in September 2022, palace courtiers had carefully planned a formal ceremony at St. David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, only to have the future king reject the proposal entirely, according to royal biographer Robert Hardman.
A member of William’s team told Hardman for his book “Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story” that a formal ceremony “wasn’t ever something that he wanted to do.” The decision surprised many within the royal household who expected the heir to follow established protocol for such a significant milestone.
William’s refusal extended beyond rejecting an elaborate investiture—he also declined even a church service to mark the occasion. Instead, the day after King Charles acceded to the throne following Queen Elizabeth’s death, William simply became prince of Wales without fanfare, later making a quiet visit to Anglesey and Swansea with Princess Kate.
The couple chose these Welsh locations deliberately, as they lived in Anglesey for three years after their 2011 marriage. This personal connection replaced the kind of grand spectacle that accompanied King Charles’s 1969 investiture at Caernarfon Castle, which attracted 19 million British viewers and 500 million people worldwide.
That televised 1969 ceremony featured Queen Elizabeth presenting Charles with the prince of Wales’ sword, coronet, ring, rod, and mantle in an elaborate display of royal pageantry. Charles had prepared by spending nine weeks at Aberystwyth University learning Welsh, though the ceremony ultimately proved controversial and was poorly received by many Welsh people who viewed it as an assertion of English authority over Welsh culture.
William has taken a thoroughly modern approach to learning the Welsh language. In 2024, he downloaded Duolingo to learn Welsh phonetically, demonstrating his progress during his St. David’s Day 2025 speech when he delivered his first full message in Welsh before transitioning to English.
In the video message, William celebrated Wales’ “history, its culture, and its incredible people,” adding that “from its breathtaking landscapes to its language, Wales continues to inspire.” He concluded by wishing “the people of Wales and everybody around the world, Happy St. David’s Day.”
Royal biographer Russell Myers, whose book “William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story” was published in March 2026, interprets William’s choices as reflecting a generational shift in how the monarchy operates. According to Hardman’s account, William’s approach stems from his identity as a millennial born in 1982.
A former courtier told Myers that millennials have navigated more rapid change than any previous generation, experiencing the birth of the internet, social media, and a world facing unprecedented challenges. This has shaped how William and Kate establish their roles, prioritizing solid foundations before launching major initiatives.
A former palace staffer observed that the prince and princess of Wales “recognize their own foundations need to be rock solid before they can deliver for anyone else, much more so than anyone in the family before them.”
By avoiding a formal investiture, William sidestepped the tensions that Charles’s 1969 ceremony created in Wales. His emphasis on personal connections to Anglesey and Swansea over ceremonial grandeur focused attention on relationships with places and people rather than staging a television spectacle.
In spring 2026, William and Kate took on another significant role when they became Grantors of Royal Warrants, giving them official authority to endorse businesses and brands that supply goods or services to the Royal Household. King Charles authorized the appointments, and Kate made history as the first princess of Wales to grant Royal Warrants in 116 years, since Princess Mary of Teck held the title in 1910. The move represents another expansion of the couple’s public duties that carries real-world weight without relying on ceremony.
William’s pattern of prioritizing substance over ceremony extends beyond his investiture decision. Whether rejecting elaborate ceremonies or using language apps instead of formal tutoring, he consistently evaluates traditions based on their current relevance rather than their historical weight.
As William prepares for his eventual role as king, his handling of the prince of Wales title suggests he may fundamentally reshape how the monarchy evaluates which traditions to preserve and which to set aside for an institution navigating the 21st century.