Prince William is an heir-in-waiting that's under pressure like no other future king in recent history, a royal expert has claimed.
The royals have had a tumultuous year after being criticised by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they also claimed one member of the family had asked how dark their son Archie’s skin would be before he was born.
The family has also had to say goodbye to Prince Philip, who died aged 99 in April, and support the Queen after losing her beloved husband.
Now, royal historian Robert Lacey, author of the book Battle of Brothers, says William is stepping up to help lead the family.
He told PEOPLE magazine: "Following the April death of Grandpa [Prince] Philip, William has stepped up to become one of the top three family figures, adding the ginger of youth to royal strategy.
"It's a crucial inflection point — this heir-in-waiting is under pressure like none before in recent history.
"The British throne has survived beheading, exile and enough scandal to stock entire libraries. Now a new leader — William, not Charles — is paving the way forward."
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Since returning to royal duties since the summer break, William has been busy visiting the likes of fire stations and football clubs.
On Tuesday night, he joined his wife the Duchess of Cambridge as well as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at the premiere of the new James Bond film No Time To Die.
And the next day, he and Kate visited Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland, where they met students at a university - along with some animals - and went to a rugby club.
Earlier this week, it was also revealed that William will join David Attenborough to present a new BBC programme about the environment.
Called The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet, it will feature those who have come up with innovative solutions to solve climate change issues. The first in the five-part series will air on Sunday.
