Prince William has said “change is on my agenda” when he becomes king, in his most open and personal explanation to date about how he sees his future role and the future of the monarchy.
The revelations come during a discussion with Hollywood actor Eugene Levy as they were filming at Windsor Castle for Levy’s travel series “The Reluctant Traveller”.
When asked by Levy if the monarchy will be shifting in a slightly different direction when he becomes king, William says: “I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda.
“Change for good, and I embrace that and I enjoy that change. I don’t fear it, that’s the bit that excites me – the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen.”
What could be described as William’s manifesto for the monarchy comes out in an unexpectedly candid interview with the Schitt’s Creek star, where William also opens up about being “overwhelmed” by family problems last year, as both the Princess of Wales and the King were diagnosed with cancer, and his desire to try to “make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parents”.
Describing how he is driven by both his passion to protect his family and his desire to ensure everything is in place when Prince George one day becomes king, he says: “I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, in 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 grew up in. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”
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On being monarch one day, he says: “It’s not something I wake up in the morning and think about.”
But in an earlier part of the programme he does talk more about his desire to potentially shake things up, albeit with a caveat.
He says: “I think it’s very important that tradition stays, and tradition has a huge part in all of this, but there’s also points where you look at tradition and go, is that still fit for purpose today?”
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In an incredibly open admission about sometimes feeling overwhelmed, especially last year – “the hardest year” – he also appears to reveal a man now more at peace with the role that lies ahead for him.
Speaking in St George’s Hall inside the castle, he says: “Stuff to do with family overwhelms me, quite a bit.
“You know, worry or stress around the family side of things, that does overwhelm me quite a bit. But in terms of doing the job and things like that, I don’t feel too overwhelmed by that. Not now anyway.”
His own childhood, and how that has impacted his thoughts on the media, also come across clearly, at times appearing to echo his brother Prince Harry’s thoughts on the press and drive to protect his own family from what they went through as children.
As he talks to Levy in a pub in Windsor, William says: “Growing up, I saw that with my parents… the media were so insatiable back then.
“And if you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family.”
Those close to the prince believe the interview is the most publicly vulnerable they’ve ever seen him on camera.
The special episode of The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy on Apple TV+ with William will air on 3 October.
