We’re no strangers to juicy stories leaking from behind the palace walls.
Just recently, newspapers buzzed with photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s press secretary meeting King Charles’ communications chief.
This sparked talk of a possible ‘peace summit’ between the Sussexes and the Palace—a reminder that royal dramas and secrets never really go out of style.
But if you think this kind of leak is new, think again.
Back in 2009, a bombshell report by the Mail On Sunday stirred up the royal world with claims that shook the very line of succession.
It suggested that Prince Charles—then still the heir apparent—might never actually become King.
Instead, the spotlight was suddenly on Prince William, who at 27 was rumored to be prepping for a role as a ‘shadow king.’
The Whisper of a ‘Shadow King’ Emerges
The leaked documents showed William and his brother Harry taking on more official duties on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. Katie Nicholl, in her explosive royal biography The Making of a Royal Romance, said the Mail’s findings hinted that the ‘handover of power was beginning.’
The papers fueled speculation that William was being groomed to possibly leapfrog his father and become King sooner than expected.
As you’d guess, the Palace was far from pleased.
Officials were quick to dismiss any suggestion that William would jump ahead of Charles.
William’s own press officer insisted he was definitely not a ‘shadow king.’
But Nicholl points out something interesting — despite all the denials, the fact that William and Harry were taking on heavier workloads was undeniable, written plainly ‘in black and white.’
William’s Own Reservations About the Throne
Ironically, the one who seemed most hesitant about stepping up was William himself.
According to Nicholl, he was worried and had made it clear that he didn’t want to be rushed into royal duties.
In fact, he reportedly found the idea of becoming a ‘fully-fledged ribbon-cutting royal’ pretty unappealing and had a strong desire to continue his career as a search and rescue pilot.
He was also upset by the suggestion he was trying to ‘leapfrog’ his dad, viewing it as unfair speculation.
William wanted to keep things on his own terms and wasn’t ready to give up his pilot dreams just yet.
While he was happy to represent his grandmother when asked, he wasn’t quite ready to embrace the full spotlight.
William’s Career Before Full-Time Royalty
It wasn’t until July 2017 that William officially became a full-time working royal.
Before that, he’d spent a couple of years flying for the East Anglian Air Ambulance service.
His military career began earlier, in 2006, when he enrolled at Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet.
There was even talk of him taking frontline duty, with Queen Elizabeth II reportedly supporting the idea.
However, given William’s position as second in line, the government deemed it too risky to put him in harm’s way on active duty, concerned about the safety of both him and those around him.
So instead, William served with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.
A High-Stakes Naval Operation Against Drug Smuggling
One of William’s most notable moments came in July 2008, when he was part of a six-person Royal Navy crew that helped intercept a vessel smuggling an astonishing 900kg of cocaine near Barbados.
The drugs, valued at around £40 million at the time (over £60 million today with inflation), were being transported on a speedboat destined for West Africa or Europe.
William was aboard a Lynx helicopter tasked with monitoring suspicious boats.
Alongside a pilot and a sniper, they spotted the speedboat and ordered it to stop.
US Coast Guard officers aboard the British frigate HMS Iron Duke then boarded the vessel and detained the smugglers. Remarkably, this operation happened just days after William joined the Royal Navy on a secondment from the RAF.
Reflections on Dangerous Service and Lasting Impact
The commander of HMS Iron Duke called it ‘a fantastic start’ to the ship’s deployment, highlighting the Navy’s important role in maritime security and drug interdiction.
Royal author Penny Junor said William’s time on the ship was filled with ‘a lot of excitement and a lot of danger.’
William enjoyed his naval experience so much that he extended his short service commission before eventually returning to the RAF.
Even years later, his time with the Navy comes up in conversation.
For example, during a 2020 Remembrance Day video chat with a physical trainer aboard HMS Montrose, William joked about their recent £20 million drug bust being only half the size of the one he helped with.
From Pilot Dreams to Royal Duties
All in all, William’s journey shows the complex balancing act between duty, personal ambition, and royal expectations.
Though he once feared being rushed into a life of ceremonies and ribbon-cuttings, he has since embraced his role as a senior royal—while carrying with him the experience and memories of his earlier, more adventurous days in service.