Prince William is ‘a really sweet man with sort of vacant ideas about God’

Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales will attend the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Ahead of that moment, the British media has been talking a lot about Prince William’s faith or lack thereof. One of William’s senior aides even tried to thread the needle by admitting that William basically has no use for religion of any kind but he’s committed to the position he will inherit, Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Sources also confirmed that William is still “embarrassed” by religious ceremonies because he’s such a modern man. Well, now the Telegraph has chimed in with their own piece about Bill of Little Faith: “Prince William’s Christian journey: Big on the Church, hesitant about God.” There are a few quotes in here I wanted to discuss.

[Prince William] is still sounding out his own faith and there is no confirmation that he necessarily believes in God, although those who know him err on the side of “yes” if pushed.

Yet those around him believe this poses no problem in relation to his future role as head of the Church. Rather, sources say, frankness about his Christian journey brings “authenticity” that will ultimately only enrich his bond with the Church.

“He takes his role very seriously and wants to build a deeper relationship with the Church,” a source tells The Telegraph. “But, as with everything he does, he will do it in an authentic way.”

Prince William does not, in other words, want to claim deeper faith or theological knowledge than he has, but plans to make his future as Supreme Governor count “in his own thoughtful way”. Those who have worked with him point to the overlaps between the Church of England’s values and the Prince’s royal work so far. “Community, talking to your neighbours, looking after the vulnerable … there’s a lot of crossover in values,” one concedes.

Lambeth Palace is reported to be “practical” about the future king’s lack of regular churchgoing. “The Prince and the Archbishop are both passionate about it not being a private members’ club and making it accessible and relevant,” a source said of the Church.

That is more charitable than the reaction of some to the briefing about the future king’s faith.

Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to the late Queen, described William as “a really sweet man with sort of vacant ideas about God”.

Theo Hobson, a theologian, said the briefing “leaves the impression” that William “does not really consider himself a Christian, but knows that he must keep this semi-veiled”.

There are no known plans for the Prince of Wales to carry out official engagements with the Church of England, but this is a start. “He understands the importance of the role he will inherit,” the palace aide says of the Prince. “He is committed to carrying it forward with sincerity, authenticity and a clear sense of purpose.”

[From The Telegraph]

I agree with this assessment: William “does not really consider himself a Christian, but knows that he must keep this semi-veiled.” Everyone’s talking around how performative this has been from William and his team, because William believes (perhaps correctly) that his job IS about the performance of it, not the embodiment of it. It’s not simply about William’s lack of Christian faith, he also doesn’t care about looking like he’s religious in any way. He thinks people should only care about him showing up and going through the motions without any spiritual connection to any of it. Also: “a really sweet man with sort of vacant ideas about God…” Well, I agree that he’s vacant.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.