With the sad news of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis, we must prepare for Prince William's reign, spanning over 15 commonwealth realm sovereign countries, their countless territories and other dependencies. This reign includes nine nations in North America and five in Oceania, the two continents where U.S. sovereignty resides most, plus one European-based nation.
Their collective territories span every continent, including geostrategically important land and sea territory necessary for U.S. national defense. Among these nations are our most trusted in intelligence and military: the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand (Five Eyes). They also include the plurality of Caribbean and Oceanian entities.
Combined with key dependencies across the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the South and North Atlantic, the collective strength of this Anglosphere alliance makes the U.S.-led security alliance the major power in every ocean and countless seas. For all these reasons and more, Prince William must influence his nations to join the American security blanket to prevent encroachment from foreign hostilities.
Luckily for the U.S., Prince William appears even more ready for this role than King Charles III.
To start, Prince William has excellent relations with most of his realms, especially those in the Five Eyes. He receives wide-scale popularity in Canada and New Zealand where he has visited often, bolstering two nations often hesitant at military modernization.
As a British Royal Army, Air Force, and Navy veteran, he understands the necessity of retaining the British possessions in South America, Antarctica and Africa, where the wider public often challenges the U.K.’s rule despite civilian support in these places for British rule. Furthermore, he has become quite popular among the wider Commonwealth of Nations including nations formerly under the House of Windsor such as India, Nigeria and Pakistan all of which could prove vital for U.S. security.
Perhaps most notable are his geography skills which will continue the environmental goals of King Charles III. These plans will greatly benefit the world's ecosystems and the monarchy's popularity in places otherwise wishing to rebel.
By keeping these allies happy, such as Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and elsewhere, Prince William's reign will help stabilize the American defense network by garnering support around Windsor's rule.
These environmental policies are coupled with his agricultural and fisheries expertise leading to astute knowledge in resources and conservation. These are key topics for many island allies and countless land-based potential allies wishing to stabilize the effects of climate change.
A great example is the current conflict in Nigeria largely caused by agricultural fertility decline forcing rival ethnic groups to migrate into places where they are seen as civilization enemies, leading to terrorism and instability.
If Prince William can find helpful ways to confront these food and fishing insecurities, he will help re-engage the Global South for the U.S.-led alliance.
This would help turn the tide toward an American-led future via our Windsor-led allies.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author.