Prince William is taking on the role of ‘People’s Prince’ now that he is no longer ‘overshadowed’ by his brother Prince Harry, royal experts have claimed.
This week the Duke of Cambridge, 38, was widely praised for his touching conservation documentary A Planet For Us All, with viewers branding it ‘outstanding’ and insisting Princess Diana ‘would be so proud’ of her son.
The prince was followed by cameras for two years travelling around the UK and to Pakistan and Tanzania as he embarked on a global mission to mobilise action for the natural world.
He was seen opening a bug hotel – ‘Bugingham Palace’ – at a primary school in Liverpool and showed off a ‘self-deprecating and candid’ side that many have never seen before, according to royal expert Camilla Tominey.
Prince William (pictured with his sons Prince George and Prince Louis) is taking on the role of ‘People’s Prince’ now that he is no longer ‘overshadowed’ by his brother Prince Harry, royal experts have claimed
Royal expert Ingrid Seward remarked: ‘William has always had this ability to connect with people. I remember from some of his earliest engagements how much he reminded me of Diana. He’s very natural and not at all fake. He’s always had it but I think perhaps he was overshadowed by Harry. Now he’s no longer on the scene, we are reminded that William has the same qualities in spades.’ Pictured: the Duke greets well-wishers as he visits the Market Square in Keswick, Cumbria in June last year
Despite the tumultuous past two years, which saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit as senior members of the Royal Family, she claimed the programme depicted a prince ‘at peace with himself’ and saw him keep his sense of humour while being bombarded with questions about his family.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, she remarked: ‘William’s calm and thoughtful demeanour could not have been more at odds with historical reports of the “hot-headed” Prince’s “petulance”.’
Ms Tominey pointed out that the Anfield school visit was a royal engagement many may have thought would once have been ‘better suited to fun-loving Prince Harry’.
‘Surrounded by primary schoolchildren with worms in their hands, the visit to All Saints Catholic Primary School in Liverpool was full of potential pitfalls,’ she said.
‘Yet as the touching exchanges between the future king and these inner-city children revealed during Monday’s TV documentary on the environment, it is William – not Harry, who is taking on the role of the “People’s Prince”.’
Camilla Tominey pointed out that the Anfield school visit seen in the documentary (pictured) was a royal engagement many may have thought would once have been ‘better suited to fun-loving Prince Harry’, but William, who was seen opening a bug hotel, showed off a ‘self-deprecating and candid’ side that many have never seen before
For A Planet For Us All, Prince William was followed by cameras for two years travelling around the UK and to Pakistan (pictured with Kate) and Tanzania as he embarked on a global mission to mobilise action for the natural world
Ms Tominey quoted fellow royal author Ingrid Steward, who claimed becoming a father to Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, has ‘mellowed’ William.
‘William has always had this ability to connect with people,’ she added. ‘I remember from some of his earliest engagements how much he reminded me of Diana.
‘He’s very natural and not at all fake. He’s always had it but I think perhaps he was overshadowed by Harry. Now he’s no longer on the scene, we are reminded that William has the same qualities in spades.’
Ms Tominey observed that those close to the Cambridges have credited Kate and the Middleton family with helping ‘pull back’ and calm ‘fiery’ William over the years.
Despite the tumultuous past two years, which saw Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured with the Cambridges in November 2018) quit as senior members of the Royal Family, Ms Tominey claimed the programme depicted a prince ‘at peace with himself’ and saw him keep his sense of humour while being bombarded with questions about his family
She added that his documentary’s success is also a testament to the team around him who have helped him to realise his ambitions, namely his former private secretary Simon Case, who was recently appointed Cabinet Secretary by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Mr Case helped boost William’s ‘statesmanlike’ image with his speech during a visit to Ireland in March, during which he stressed the Royal Family is ‘determined’ to play its part in maintaining the bond between the UK and Ireland after Brexit.
Ms Tominey also credited the prince’s collaboration with naturalist David Attenborough, who is backing his new charitable endeavour the Earthshot Prize, an ambitious project designed to inspire a decade of action to repair the planet, with a multi-million-pound prize on offer.
Ms Tominey also credited the prince’s collaboration with naturalist David Attenborough, who is backing his new charitable endeavour the Earthshot Prize. Pictured: Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George (seated), Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with David Attenborough after he and Prince William attended an outdoor screening of the naturalist’s latest feature film, in the gardens of Kensington Palace
A source close to Prince William has said: ‘It’s about saying, “We can do this”, rather than feeling like it’s all too much of a daunting challenge.’
Ms Tominey pointed out that the Duke’s style of campaigning is ‘markedly different’ to Harry and Meghan Markle’s videos addressing racism and politics.
‘Those closest to him insist that the last thing he wants to be is a “preaching Prince”,’ she said. adding that the insider insists William has ‘no interest in telling people how to live their lives’ and is ‘realistic’.