At a time when the British royal family has been convulsed by drama, infighting and a tendency by some royals to over-share, Prince William has remained largely aloof — loath to reveal the kinds of details found in “Spare,” the memoir by his estranged brother, Prince Harry.
Yet William, too, has lifted the veil in recent weeks, in his own carefully managed way. Appearing with the Canadian comic actor Eugene Levy on an episode of his travel series, and later with a woman who lost her husband to suicide, William has shown a more personal side, speaking about his desire to change the monarchy after he becomes king and tearing up over another family’s tragedy.
The two glimpses of William, 43, have hardly remade the public image of the eldest son of King Charles III. But they have filled in some blanks in the portrait of a man who has carefully cultivated the profile of a middle-aged husband and father, determined to shield himself and his family from undue scrutiny.
The exercise in image making has taken on more urgency since his father was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in early 2024. While Buckingham Palace insists that Charles, 76, is on the mend, the prospect of William having to step up to the throne no longer seems so distant.
“He’s on fast forward,” said Tina Brown, the British American journalist who has written two books about the royal family. “His father had 50 years to tell the world who he was before becoming king. It’s essential for William to show the human side of himself before his image gets set in stone as the stoic foil to Harry.”
In a video released Friday to coincide with World Mental Health Day, William met with Rhian Mannings, who lost a baby to illness and her husband to suicide. As the two sat at Ms. Mannings’s kitchen table in Cardiff, Wales, William asked her what she would say to her husband, if she could.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.