By Lucia Stein and Rebecca Armitage , ABC News After a "brutal" year of family health battles, Prince William has used a recent trip abroad to lay out his vision for his future reign. The Prince of Wales was in South Africa to deliver five awards as part of his environmental foundation, The Earthshot Prize, when he unveiled his grand plans for the House of Windsor in a surprisingly candid interview. Dressed casually and sporting a grown-out beard from the summer, the 42-year-old said he hoped to use his role to "do things differently" for a younger generation.
"To give you more of an understanding around it, I'm doing it with maybe a smaller R in the royal, if you like. That's maybe a better way of saying it," William told reporters at the end of his Cape Town trip . It is one of the clearest signs yet the future king is thinking about how the monarchy should evolve in the 21st century and find its place in a globalised world.
Part of that transition would involve the House of Windsor pivoting away from its traditional way of thinking, from Queen Elizabeth II's ideal of "never complain, never explain", to what the prince describes as a more "empathetic" approach. "It's more about impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening, and helping people," he said. "And I'm also going to throw empathy in there as well because I really care about what I do.
.. I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.
" But while the future king may be hoping to set a new .