Prince William opened up like never before during an appearance in a new TV show and even mentioned estranged brother Prince Harry – and Jennie Bond say this shows one thing
Their bitter feud means that Princes William and Harry barely mention each other anymore in public. But in a surprise turn of events, the Prince of Wales name checks his estranged younger brother in one of his most open and candid TV appearances to date.
William chose to open up on his family life and the top job that awaits him to comic actor Eugene Levy during an episode of the celebrity’s Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler. In a particularly poignant moment, William mentions his brother when asked how he feels about his son becoming King, he said: “It’s an interesting question and it’s a big question that one.
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“Because there’s lots of things to think about with that. But obviously, I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better.
“That is caveated with, I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry and I had to grow up in. I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”
It is one of just a handful of times that William has talked about his brother so publicly since he and Meghan quit as working royals and moved to California more than five years ago.
And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror : “The mention of Harry is indeed fleeting and I think it would be wrong to spend much time talking about it. But I suppose it does show that William hasn’t blocked his brother completely from his brain.
“They shared a traumatic childhood and adolescence and nothing can ever change that part of their history. It was only natural for him to include Harry when talking about his childhood, but I don’t think we should read more into it than that.”
Elsewhere in the show filmed around Windsor Castle, William said “change is on my agenda – change for good” when talking about his future role as king.
William set out his approach to the monarchy, saying “I want to question things more”, but central to his world was Kate and their three children, “the most important thing in my life is family”.
And Jennie added: “On the programme as a whole, I think it was an extraordinary insight into who William really is. We all think we know him, at least as a prince, but this was a glimpse behind the mask at the man who will be King.
“The words that screamed out at me were his unequivocal intention to question whether certain aspects of the monarchy are fit for purpose. He is not going to stand for doing things in a certain way just because that’s what has happened in the past. He respects and is surrounded by tradition but refuses to be bound by it. And that’s something fairly new.”
The deep subjects in the episode are also broken up with lighter moments incuding Eugene meeting the Wales family dog Orla and William arriving for their chat on an electric scooter.
Jennie explained: “The opening image of William arriving at the ancient castle on an electric scooter, casually dressed, and happy to talk to a Canadian comedian, spoke volumes about who he is. He’s going to do things his way.
“He wasn’t shy about showing his vulnerability, especially when it comes to family matters. Last year was bruising and he is clearly still worried about how it might get affect his children.
“But he is now at ease about his destiny and he confirmed something his mother, Diana, once told me: that the burden of being King weighed heavily on his young shoulders. But these days he accepts his lot and is determined to use his platform to make life better for others and do some good in the world.
“William came across, as Eugene Levy said, as down to earth, pleasant and human. That’s a good start for a modern monarch.”