Prince William embraces 'change for good'

(Chris Jackson/The Associated Press)

Last fall, Prince William talked about trying to do things differently, “with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the Royal.”

What that means will emerge in time, but more musings from the Prince of Wales that went public today may offer the next clues.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Canadian actor and comedian Eugene Levy as part of his travel series on AppleTV+, William said it’s safe to say “change is on my agenda.”

“Change for good, and I embrace that, I enjoy that change,” William told Levy in the latest episode of The Reluctant Traveller. “I don't fear it, that's the bit that excites me … the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen.”

Again, what that actually means will only emerge in time. But in the interview with Levy, which was seen in the U.K. media as the “most open” William has ever been, he noted that while tradition is important, he is also ready to question whether tradition is “still fit for purpose today.”

As William has settled into his role as Prince of Wales, there has been inevitable curiosity and comparison with his father, King Charles, who is broadly seen as being cautious in terms of making dramatic changes from the reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.

More recently, there have been media reports speculating on the relationship between William and Charles, both personally and more institutionally as monarch and heir. 

“In his public comments, Prince William has been a cautious Prince of Wales compared to his father, who openly shared his views on a wide variety of topics, including organic farming and architecture,” said Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris.

But there has been some evidence in recent years, she said, that William plans to introduce changes to royal routines and philanthropy. 

“While King Charles was an outspoken Prince of Wales who became a cautious innovator as King, Prince William may follow an opposite trajectory, as a more cautious Prince of Wales who becomes a vocal advocate for change as King.”

The interview with Levy, says Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert and lecturer in law at Royal Holloway, University of London, “largely confirms what we have known about Prince William, in that he is thinking about what the monarchy will look like when he’s King.

“We have seen that he’s interested in royal, without a capital ‘r,’ that he’s interested in having an impact. But this is the most explicit we have seen Prince William in thinking about all of this,” Prescott said.

“It’s also the strongest indication that he will make changes rather than just float them as ideas. What we don’t know is just how radical those changes will be.”

There has been a sense for some time that Charles and William have been close.

“What was always interesting was just how quickly Charles made William Prince of Wales,” Prescott said in an interview.

“William has in broad terms always been on side with slimming down the Royal Family and sort of Charles’s thinking about things. And indeed, William has taken on the environmental mantra that was so dear to Charles.”

Harris says Charles and William have grown increasingly close in recent years.

“Prince Harry's departure from his role as a senior member of the Royal Family may have accelerated this process,” she said.

“We're seeing not only a very close personal relationship, but it's clear that the King and the Prince of Wales also have a strong working relationship…. We saw them working together at the recent American state visit.”

Still, there have been recent rumblings in the media that suggest the relationship has its strains.

Last month, royal biographer Tina Brown went public with claims that Charles is “less irritated” by Prince Harry than he is by William and his possibly lighter royal workload in comparison to the time he spends with his family, which he has made a high priority.

“There are these stories, and I don't know where they're coming from, that are perhaps sort of driving a bit of a wedge between them and that's really curious … where that’s come from is sort of very odd,” said Prescott.

Through history, Prescott said, there has always been some tension at times between the monarch and the immediate heir.

“It's something unique to monarchies, because you know that the heir to the throne is just there waiting until it's their turn. It's a very peculiar dynamic. I think that’s difficult for any monarch and heir to manage, ultimately.”

Various monarchs have had varying degrees of closeness with their reigning parent and their heir.

“King Edward VII, who had been kept at arm's length by Queen Victoria, with whom he had a very difficult personal relationship — he kept his son, King George V, quite close and treated him as a confidant,” said Harris. 

Harris thinks the relationship between Charles and William is receiving some attention right now because the extended Royal Family is in the news again.

Controversy surrounds the Duke and Duchess of York and their connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (more on that below). There is also heavy media speculation around the possibility of reconciliation with Prince Harry.

“The public is curious to know to what degree King Charles and the future King William think alike on these issues or whether we're going to see a different approach going into the next reign, and also to what degree will the future King William be exerting a greater degree of influence as King Charles's reign progresses,” she said. 

“This is where we see the personal and the political intersecting, that there's a lot of curiosity about how William will approach matters with his extended family going forward.”
 

• William misses his late grandmother and grandfather, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and spoke of how important Windsor was to her. “For me, Windsor is her,” he said.
   
• William talked of how 2024 was the hardest year he’s ever had — a year that saw both his father and wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, diagnosed with cancer. 
   
• Family life is a priority: “Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important. Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future.”
   
• William and Catherine’s children don’t have cellphones. But they do have several active hobbies and athletic pursuits: Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte love jumping on the trampoline. Prince George likes football and hockey, while Charlotte likes netball and ballet. All of them are trying to learn musical instruments. 
   
• Levy revelled in the “charming few hours” he spent with the “so down-to-earth, very funny, very bright” Prince William. “The monarchy has always been so very formal, but with William you didn’t get that at all,” Levy said as he drew the episode to a close. “I gotta be honest: He was fun to hang with.”

Watching the interview with Levy, Prescott said, you get the sense that it was William’s equivalent to Harry’s memoir, Spare, “or at least as far as he will go.”

“This was him reflecting on his childhood, 2024 and his thinking about the monarchy when he becomes King. It’s clear that he wanted to get this out there to the public via the right program.”

The one big issue facing the monarchy today, Prescott said, is the gradual decline in support, especially from younger people. 

“One way to address this is to look to connect with younger people in particular,” said Prescott. 

“So if you want to connect with this audience, then doing it via AppleTV+ makes sense, as they increasingly consume television via streaming and not via the BBC/ITV. AppleTV+ is a relatively popular platform in the U.K.”