As second-in-line to the throne, we have a feeling Prince William might have had a few ideas about how he'd make changes to the British Monarchy over the years.

And, finally, the 35-year-old has let slip on just a couple of his plans when (come on, it's going to happen) he becomes King.

During the keynote speech at the Charity Commission's Annual Public Meeting yesterday afternoon, the father-of-two said that society would be an 'empty shell' without charity and outlined how he envisages the Monarchy will work in the future.

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In his speech, the Duke of Cambridge promised to keep philanthropy and volunteering 'at the heart' of what the Monarchy does and admitted he doesn't want to be a Patron of hundreds of charities like leaders before him.

'Supporting charities is at the heart of what I - and the whole Royal Family do,' he explained.

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'Some of my earliest memories relate to times that my parents spoke to me or - even better - showed me what it meant to have both privilege and responsibilities.'

The prince opened up about how his mother taught him 'what it meant to have both privilege and responsibilities'.

'I remember being taken by my mother to a homelessness shelter at a young age, her explaining to me why the people I met there matter; why no society can be healthy unless we take other people seriously,' he added.

'As a young child, I recall evening after evening my father's diligence and compassion as he applied himself to answering thousands of letters and reading endless reports in order to stay on top of his ambition to do all he could to help the underprivileged.

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'Without my realising it, what my parents were doing was instilling in me and Harry a lifelong habit to put charity at the heart of our lives,' the prince - who spearheaded the mental health charity Heads Together with Kate Middleton and Prince Harry.

Later in his speech, the Duke criticised social media, saying that if you lived your life on Twitter, 'you could be forgiven for assuming that society is falling apart'.

'These challenges are all real, but they are not the whole story - in fact, they are not even half the story: kindness, compassion, neighbourliness, big and small acts of generosity form the glue of our society, and our links to other parts of the world. Charity facilitates and channels that generosity,' he added.

He ended his speech encouraging charities to work together to help support each other's funds that threaten their longevity.

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Katie O'Malley
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.