Way Ahead Group

"The extent to which the Royal Family is governed and run like a business is startling. The future of the family is governed and set by senior family members along with the aid of a clique of key confidants and advisers.

"They meet twice a year and form the powerful group in the Monarchy's inner sanctum known simply as the Way Ahead Group - essentially the twice-yearly general meeting of Windsor plc...

"The Group makes the decisions which have shaped the Royal Family for the past decade or so. Not even the Prime Minister is privy to the details of its discussions.

"Established in the early Nineties by the then Lord Chamberlain, Lord Airlie, the Way Ahead Group is the Royal Family's version of sitting round the kitchen table and thrashing out differences of opinions and plans for the future." Prince William's "inclusion in the influential Group, Jobson says, brings him ever closer to the moment when he must fulfil his ultimate duty."

Related Sourcewatch

 * Miles Hunt-Davis