Prince William has (rather understandably) kept a low profile for most of the year in order to be by Princess Kate's side during her battle with cancer. However, as his royal duties have picked up in recent months, one royal expert believes that his increased presence and resulting media coverage may have made things difficult for Prince Charles.

Historian Dr. Tessa Dunlop told the Mirror that the meeting between the Prince of Wales and Donald Trump following the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 7 “was a painful reminder of who holds the royal trump card.”

“It must be hard for Charles to play second fiddle to his son after more than 70 years of waiting for a bigger role,” Dunlop told the magazine. The historian noted that “William has made headlines more than his father on several occasions recently.”

She cited as examples the Prince of Wales' recent visit to the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards, where he wore a military uniform and fired his gun, and a Christmas lunch at The Passage, a charity that helps the homeless. Dunlop added, “All eyes are always on William and the Welsh family.”

Prince Charles was diagnosed with cancer in February, and historians noted that the news “played second fiddle to the shocking diagnosis of the Crown Princess.”

The Prince of Wales represented the United Kingdom at an event at Notre Dame Cathedral celebrating its reopening after a 2019 fire destroyed much of the cathedral. Dunlop said he thinks “Trump liked what he saw” because Prince William has a different personality than his father.

“Unlike his father, Prince Charles, who has long been associated with the green agenda, William's brand neatly eschews specific passion projects,” she said.

“These days, the Prince of Wales effortlessly blends his mother's charisma with a careful study of the late queen's wise constitutional governance.”

She added, “The King, long overshadowed by his extraordinary mother, now finds himself outshone by his eldest son, and William's weekend excursion to Paris was a stark reminder of who holds the royal trump card.”

This is a story that has been going on since the 1980s, when then-Prince Charles felt overshadowed by Princess Diana and the media onslaught surrounding the People's Princess. Princess Diana was the star of the show; he was not the star.” Andrew Morton, a royal biographer, said in an interview with Business Insider in 2022.

And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan” cites an example of the Duchess making front-page news after attending a Remembrance Day event with other royal family members, including Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth. Not surprisingly, it did little good for Princess Meghan, through no fault of her own, to attract media attention and overshadow the senior royal family.

Who knows if the King is threatened by the ever-popular Welsh couple, but by all accounts Prince William's Paris meeting was a huge success.