Prince William has moved to reaffirm his commitment to the Church of England – despite not being a regular churchgoer like his father or grandmother

Prince William and Princess Kate greet the Archbishop of Canterbury

When Prince William eventually becomes King, he will take on a whole new set of important responsibilities. And one of them will include heading up the Church of England as its Supreme Governor and assuming the title of ‘Defender of the Faith’.

However, unlike his father King Charles or his grandmother, Elizabeth II, faith is something William has not publicly spoken about and he’s not a regular churchgoer. But ahead of attending the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally earlier this week, aides close to William said his commitment to the Church of England is sometimes quieter than people expect, and for that reason it is not always fully understood.

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The Prince and Princess of Wales at the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury(Image: Getty Images)

Some have argued that William should be more open about his faith, especially given his future role within the church. And royal expert Jennie Bond believes it may become an issue – but only under one circumstance.

The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror : “I think it will only become a sticky situation if the Church chooses to make it one. I admire William’s honesty about his beliefs.

“He may not have the same deep faith of his grandmother or the spirituality of his father, but he has made it clear that he recognises the importance of the Church and that he is committed to building “a strong and meaningful bond” with the Church of England. That is part of his future role, and he recognises it.

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William is not known as a regular churchgoer (Image: PA)

“We know that William is not a regular churchgoer. But he is perfectly aware that one day he will be the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and hold the title Defender of the Faith. He’s not daft.”

Last Wednesday, William was accompanied by Kate at Canterbury Cathedral as they watched the installation of Dame Sarah as Archbishop of Canterbury – with the former nurse becoming the first woman ever to hold the role.

The Waleses smiled and clapped along with the 2,000-strong congregation as those gathered for the historic service erupted with applause after Dame Sarah Mullally was formally enthroned.

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William and Kate with their children leave church on Christmas Day last year (Image: Getty Images)

Dame Sarah stopped and bowed to the future king and queen as she processed through the church at the end. A smiling William nodded in return as he joined in applauding the new archbishop, while Kate gave a broad smile and also clapped, with a slight nod of her head.

And Jennie predicted: “Charles tried to change things so that he was defender of faith – a far more inclusive term – but his idea was met by all sorts of resistance. So William is unlikely to try to shake things up too much.

“He will approach his role in his own quiet way, and I think that’s much better than hypocritically pretending to have a deep personal faith. It’s been reported that Catherine has developed a stronger faith as a result of her cancer diagnosis, and William may find himself influenced by her.

“But what he clearly understands is that the Church is extremely important in the lives of many people, and he will respect that – and the role that it plays in our national life.”