In many ways, a source says, the Prince of Wales’s faith, as a 43-year-old father of young children, follows the trajectory of countless other millennials around Britain. “Any individual’s relationship with faith evolves over a time,” they said. “Each is personal and nuanced. We don’t necessarily have the same relationship with the Church that our grandparents or parents did.”
None of which would be remarkable, except that Prince William will one day be Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and that this week he let it be known, via the briefing of an aide, that he wants to “draw a line in the sand” when it comes to his faith.
The briefing follows years of questions about whether the Prince has any personal relationship with God or Christianity, and what the reign of a future King William V will look like when it comes to the Church. It gave an answer – of sorts.
And that answer blends an unswerving public duty to support the institution of the Church of England, alongside a “quiet faith” that is far more questioning and nuanced.
“The Prince of Wales’s commitment to the Church of England is sometimes quieter than people expect, and for that reason it is not always fully understood,” said the aide. “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.”
He 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.
On Wednesday, the Prince and Princess of Wales will take their place in Canterbury Cathedral for the installation of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. They won’t have any active role, simply joining the congregation to watch the first woman officially start the job in its 1,400-year history.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.telegraph.co.uk ’
