Prince William ‘not a regular churchgoer’ but wishes to create ‘strong and meaningful bond’

William was last pictured going to church at Christmas, for a service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.

The Prince of Wales was with several other members of the Royal Family, including his wife, Catherine, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

While not going to Church often or being a devout Christian, William is keen to “evolve” his relationship from that of previous monarchs.

This week, he will attend the installation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is “delighted” with his and Catherine’s scheduled appearance on March 25.

A source close to William explained that the enthronement will be “an opportunity” for the future king.

It said: “This week is an opportunity to be very clear in people’s minds, when he walks into Canterbury Cathedral, of where he stands.

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“For him, it is a drawing of a line in the sand of where he’s at and it’s really important that it [the question over his commitment to the Church] is cleared up.

“His feeling is: ‘I might not be at Church every day but I believe in it, I want to support it and this is an important aspect of my role and the next role and I will take it very seriously, in my own way’.”

An aide to William explained that the “Prince of Wales’s commitment to the Church of England… is not always fully understood” by the public.

The aide continued: “Those who know him well recognise that his connection to the Church, and to the sense of duty that comes with it, runs deep and is grounded in something personal and sincere.”

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His approach to the Church signals an evolution from previous monarchs, whose strong faith was publicly a core tenet of their reigns.

William is pushing to build “a strong and meaningful bond” with the church and its leadership, which respects tradition while “speaking to a modern Britain”, the source said.

Part of this will be with the relationship with Dame Sarah Mullally, who is preparing to be installed as the Archbishop of Canterbury in front of an audience of 2,000 people.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met with Dame Sarah last month at Lambeth Palace to discuss the work of the Church and the Royal Foundation.

A source close to the 63-year-old told The Sunday Times that she is “really delighted” that William and Catherine will be there for her installation.

The source explained: “The prince and the archbishop are both passionate about it [the Church] not being a private members’ club and making it accessible and relevant.

“The improving relationship is wonderful and enables us to help defend and understand the prince’s position.

“We would love the [future] supreme governor to be at church every Sunday, but one has to be practical around the fact that they are a couple with young children.”