Prince William Returns to Work for King Harald’s Funeral After Another Long Summer Break

Prince William will return to a high-profile official duty this week when he represents King Charles at the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V in Oslo on September 9. Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Prince of Wales will attend the service at Oslo Cathedral, while Princess Anne will attend privately as godmother to the new King Haakon VIII.

The funeral adds another engagement to a year in which William’s public workload continues to attract scrutiny. The official Court Circular records periods of concentrated activity, including overseas visits, meetings and multiple engagements packed into individual working days, alongside lengthy stretches with relatively few public appearances.

That makes HELLO!’s latest defence of William and Kate’s summer break worth examining. Royal biographer Robert Jobson described their roles as potentially “relentless” and argued that taking the school holidays away from public duties gives them valuable time to “recharge.”

Robert Jobson responded to criticisms that the Waleses chose to spend this time away from the public eye, arguing that their jobs can be “relentless” and it provides them valuable time to recharge. 

He told us: “A lot of people might think that it’s lazy or whatever [taking the school holidays off], but I don’t think it is. 

“They’ve got a long time in the top job, and after this it becomes even more relentless so I think they’re trying to manage their time as best they can whilst they’ve got an element of freedom.”

Robert Jobson speaking to Hello!

The question is not whether William should attend King Harald’s funeral. Of course he should. The question is why a single ceremonial duty after weeks out of public view is treated as proof of an exhausting workload rather than part of the job he is expected to do.

HELLO!’s defence of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s long summer break leans heavily on the idea that the couple need time to “recharge.” But recharge from what, exactly?

This is not a pair working ordinary jobs, commuting five days a week and squeezing family life around a full-time schedule. Their public workload has repeatedly attracted criticism for its comparatively limited number of working days and long gaps between appearances. The pattern for William and Kate is this: a burst of engagements, then weeks out of sight, followed by another round of carefully promoted appearances.

That is why the language of relentless service feels so useless. If William and Kate are doing substantial work behind the scenes, the public rarely sees evidence of it. What people do see is a royal calendar with lengthy school-holiday breaks, extended summer absences and a workload that would look enviable to almost anyone outside the palace gates.

The defence also raises a broader issue about royal coverage. Instead of asking whether the future king and queen do enough, sympathetic outlets often focus on explaining why they should not have to do more.

Their defenders may call it family time, balance or necessary rest. Critics see something much simpler: a life of privilege being presented as sacrifice.

Embed from Getty Images

William and Kate’s last public appearance came at Crathie Kirk on August 23, making their long gaps from public duties even harder to square with claims of a “relentless” workload.

William and Kate are not private citizens paying their own way. They live with immense wealth, staff, security and institutional support while holding public roles they are constantly told are essential to the future of the monarchy.

So when royal commentators call a long summer break necessary recovery from a “relentless” workload, they rebrand an expensive lifestyle as sacrifice.