Prince William behaves like a divorced dad already. When he and Kate have to do events together, they often look like two coworkers who had a dramatic falling out, and everyone is on edge about how they’ll behave and whether or not Kate will try to grope him. Which is probably why they do a lot of solo events… when they do work. Speaking of, the Mail is trying to point out that William has been “going solo” a lot and he will continue to go solo in the future. The Mail is also trying to make that sound like a good thing, because William is so attractive (!!) and kingly (??) that “royal fans” are flocking to him. Literally, this man is greeted by zero crowds, and even worse than that, he tries to fly under the radar because he’s terrified of being protested by anti-monarchy groups. But sure. Some highlights from the DM’s “It’s Willi-yum, the royal fans’ favourite. No wonder the Prince of Wales is growing in confidence – and increasingly willing to carry out royal duties alone…” HORK to “Willi-yum” oh my god.

Kate will not go to New York with William in September: When Prince William visits New York in the autumn to promote his Earthshot environmental awards, it looks as though he will be doing so alone, with Kate remaining at home. Nothing is set in stone and this could change, of course.

Solo Peg is increasingly happy: But the Prince is judged by royal watchers to be growing into his new more senior role following his father’s accession to the throne. And he seems increasingly happy to take the strain himself and conduct royal engagements solo. Although William enjoys the teamwork that comes with public engagements alongside his wife, he will be glad to give her break – the more so as she has her work cut out with a young family. Solo appearances, particularly when they relate to his personal projects – in this case Earthshot – are also a chance for the new Prince of Wales to establish himself as his role as future king looms larger with every passing day.

Kate will go to Singapore though: The Princess of Wales is expected to join her husband for the finals in Singapore in November.

Growing confidence at the age of 41: Kate Mansey, royal writer and assistant editor of The Mail on Sunday said: ‘William seems happier in his own skin – he’s really grown into the new role, as Prince of Wales, very quickly. He does seem more confident. It helps that he has the backing of his father. He’ll like the fact that he can now focus on his own projects, things he really wants to do. And he’s perhaps more settled since the family moved to Windsor.’ She suggested that some royal engagements have become less stressful than in the past because video clips of an event can be so easily distributed to the media afterwards – reducing the size of the entourage involved, and the pressure.

William gets attention from women: It can only help that the Prince of Wales is developing a certain female constituency – regarded as dashing and, of course, in notably good shape. Some royal fans were said to have been left swooning after William as he showed off his polo skills in a charity match earlier this month. Some suggested they’d been left feeling hot under the collar when snaps from the event emerged.

[From The Daily Mail]

This article was doing a lot, right? It established that William prefers to do events without Kate. It established that William is desperate for attention from other women. It established that William sees his children as Kate’s responsibility alone. It established that William is soft-launching his Divorced Dad Brand. Like, I’ve been saying all along that Will and Kate will stay “together” for as long as this arrangement suits William. He’s fine with separate lives, he’s fine with sticking Kate in Adelaide Cottage with the kids, he’s fine with doing solo events. But there’s been a shift, right? I genuinely can’t wait to see what happens here.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.