Buckingham Palace rejects 'shadow king' claims

London: Buckingham Palace on Monday rejected claims that Prince William was being installed as a "shadow king" ready to take on more of the Queen's official duties.

A Treasury document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act spelled out that the 27-year-old prince was to start spending more time on official engagements.

The Mail on Sunday interpreted the document as evidence that William was being set up as a "shadow king" and claimed it would add to speculation that the Queen believed William rather than his father, Prince Charles represented the best bet for the royal family's long-term future.

Republican campaigners claimed the document showed secret plans about the future of the monarchy were being hatched behind closed doors that ought to be aired in public.

The palace dismissed as "completely untrue" any suggestion that the documents showed William was being favoured over Charles or that the Queen was set to dramatically cut the number of engagements she took on.

A spokeswoman said other members of the royal family, including Charles, often represented the Queen because she could not get to all of the events to which she was invited.

She pointed out that it was already known that William is to travel to New Zealand and Australia to represent the Queen in January.