WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:15.759
Caloroga Shark Media.
2
00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:19.559
Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I I'm your host,
3
00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:23.399
Mark Francis. Prince William has offered his most candid portrait
4
00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:26.480
yet of life now and the future. He envisages as King,
5
00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.320
speaking with actor and presenter Eugene Levy for Apple TV.
6
00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:34.439
Pluses at the reluctant traveler, filmed in and around windsor
7
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:38.439
framed by an easygoing tour, an electric scooter dashed to
8
00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:41.000
the castle, a walk with a family dog, ller in
9
00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:44.000
a quiet point at a local The Prince set out
10
00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.280
a clear intent to modernize without uprooting. He said, I
11
00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:49.399
think it's safe to say that changes on my agenda
12
00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:52.759
change for good, and I embrace that. I enjoy that change.
13
00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.159
I don't fear it. That's the bit that excites me,
14
00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:57.679
the idea of being able to bring some change, not
15
00:00:57.719 --> 00:01:00.439
overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen.
16
00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:04.560
The conversation was shaped by a year he describes as
17
00:01:04.599 --> 00:01:07.200
testing to the core, with both the Princess of Wales
18
00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:10.599
and the King navigating cancer. I'd say twenty twenty four
19
00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:12.599
was the hardest year that I've ever had, trying to
20
00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:16.159
sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine, my father needs
21
00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:18.280
a bit of protection, but he's you know, he's old
22
00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:20.719
enough to do that himself as well. But it's important
23
00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:22.879
that my family feels protected and has the space to
24
00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:25.439
process a lot of the stuff that's gone on last year,
25
00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:27.840
and that was tricky trying to do that and keep
26
00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:30.480
doing the job. But you know, we all have challenges
27
00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:33.799
that come our way and it's important to keep going. So,
28
00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:36.120
you know, I enjoy my job, but sometimes there are
29
00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:39.000
aspects of it, such as the media, the speculation, you know,
30
00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:40.920
the scrutiny, that make it a little bit harder than
31
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:44.200
other jobs. It's just making sure that doesn't overtake and
32
00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:46.200
intrude into areas at times when you just want a
33
00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:48.200
bit of space and a bit of peace and quiet.
34
00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.879
Asked directly after the princess and the king, he replied, Yes,
35
00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.359
things are good. Everything is progressing in the right way,
36
00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.359
which is all good news. Yes she is, Yes, it's
37
00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:03.959
great news. The princip linked that resilience to a broader lesson.
38
00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.319
We've been very lucky. We haven't had many illnesses in
39
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:09.000
the family for a very long time. My grandparents lived
40
00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:11.080
until they were in their high nineties, so they were
41
00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.680
a vision of fitness and stoicism and resilience if you like. So,
42
00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:16.680
we've been very lucky as a family. But I think
43
00:02:16.680 --> 00:02:19.479
when you suddenly realize that the rug, the metaphorical rug,
44
00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:21.560
can be pulled from under your feet quite quick, at
45
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:24.360
any point you maybe think to yourself, it won't happen
46
00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.439
to us, will be okay, because I think everyone has
47
00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:29.000
a positive outlook. You've got to be positive. But when
48
00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:30.919
it does happen to you, then yeah, it takes you
49
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:34.840
into some pretty not great places. He was unguarded about
50
00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:37.479
what most unsettles him. Stuff to do with the family
51
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:40.360
overwhelms me quite a bit. Worry was stressed around the
52
00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:42.919
family side of things does overwhelm me quite a bit.
53
00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:45.319
But in terms of doing the job and things like that,
54
00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.199
I don't feel too overwhelmed by that. When it's to
55
00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:50.120
do with family and things like that, that's when I
56
00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:54.120
start getting a bit overwhelmed, as I think most people would,
57
00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:57.039
because it's more personal. It's more about feeling, it's more
58
00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:00.719
about upsetting the rhythm. Looking back, he credits the late
59
00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:02.960
Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with anchoring him and
60
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.919
misses them keenly. I do miss my grandmother and my grandfather.
61
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:07.719
It's been quite a bit of change, so you do
62
00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:10.159
sort of think about them not being here anymore, and
63
00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:14.000
particularly being in Windsor for me, Windsor is her. She
64
00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:15.879
loved it here. She spent most of her time here.
65
00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.319
I had a good relationship. My grandparents were of a
66
00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:21.960
different generation. I think when we were younger it was
67
00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.520
harder to have that very close relationship because it was
68
00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:27.439
quite formal. But as they got older and I got older,
69
00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:30.400
it got warmer and warmer, and I definitely think my
70
00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:33.360
relationship was best with my grandparents when they were more
71
00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.240
in their eighties, when they sort of relaxed a little bit.
72
00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:39.080
He also drew a straight line from the turmoil of
73
00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:41.240
his parents break up to the home life he and
74
00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.639
the Princess are determined to build for Prince George, Princess Charlotte,
75
00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:48.240
and Prince Lowis. You have to have that warmth, that
76
00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:52.120
feeling of safety, security, love, that all has to be there,
77
00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:54.879
and that was certainly part of my childhood. My parents
78
00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:57.199
got divorced at eight, so that lasted a short period
79
00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:59.520
of time. But you take that and you learn from it,
80
00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:01.080
and you try to make sure you don't do the
81
00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:04.000
same mistakes as your parents. I think we all try
82
00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:05.759
and do that, and I just want to do what's
83
00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:08.280
best for my children. But I know that the drama
84
00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:10.960
and the stress when you're small really affects you when
85
00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:15.080
you're older. Day to day, the rhythm is intentionally ordinary,
86
00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:17.720
not really no, instead of keeping a nine to five.
87
00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:20.040
It doesn't quite work like that, but I do try
88
00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:22.839
and stick to school time tables as best as possible,
89
00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:25.920
so most days we're in and out of school doing
90
00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.399
pickups and drop offs. Getting the balance of work and
91
00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.879
family life right is really important because for me, the
92
00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:34.800
most important thing in my life is family, and everything
93
00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.399
is about the future and about If you don't start
94
00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:39.920
the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home,
95
00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:41.600
I feel you're setting them up for a bit of
96
00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:44.160
a hard time and a fall. And so it's about
97
00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.879
making sure that we can look after our families, look
98
00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:49.279
after our children in a way that is best for
99
00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:53.240
the future. Meals together are non negotiable and phones are
100
00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:56.480
not Yep, absolutely yep, definitely instead of sitting down as
101
00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:59.319
a family, so we sit and chat. It's really important.
102
00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.959
None of our children have any phones, which were very
103
00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:05.120
strict about of their free time Louis loves the trampoline,
104
00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:08.519
so he's obsessed with trampolining, and actually Charlotte does a
105
00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.360
lot as well. As far as I can tell, they
106
00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.600
just end up jumping up and down on the trampoline,
107
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:15.439
beating each other up most of the time. Apparently there
108
00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:17.639
is an art to it. Charlotte does her netball as
109
00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:19.959
well in a ballet, so keeping them busy with sports
110
00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:23.480
and being outdoors is really important. They're trying to learn
111
00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:26.360
musical instruments. I'm not sure how successful were being with that.
112
00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:30.480
George loves his football and his hockey. There were tender
113
00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:33.240
notes too, the loss of their beloved Loupo during lockdown,
114
00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.839
which is actually the niece of our other dog, Lupo,
115
00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:40.079
who sadly we lost during COVID lockdown instead of Orler
116
00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.319
of Lupo's passing. Yes, we were all there, sadly, it
117
00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.600
was very sad. On the role of the media, he said,
118
00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:50.120
a firm boundary born of experience. If you're not careful,
119
00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:52.959
you can intrude so much into someone's life that actually
120
00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:55.480
you start on picking everything and growing up, I saw
121
00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:58.680
that with my parents. The media was so insatiable back then.
122
00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:00.519
It's hard to think of it now, but they were
123
00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:03.279
so much more insatiable. They wanted every bit of detail
124
00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:06.800
they could absorb, and they were in everything, literally everywhere.
125
00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.240
There would know things, they'd be everywhere, and if you
126
00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:10.800
let that creep in, the damage it can do to
127
00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:13.399
your family life is something that vowed would never happen
128
00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:15.879
to my family, and so I take a very strong
129
00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:17.959
line about it where I think that line is, and
130
00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:21.639
those who overstep it I'll fight against. But equally I
131
00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:23.839
understand in my role there is interest. You have to
132
00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:25.519
work with the media, so you have to have a
133
00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:27.560
grown up sort of situation with it as well. It's
134
00:06:27.560 --> 00:06:30.160
about knowing where the line is and what you're willing
135
00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:33.759
to put up with. Even as the honors tradition, he
136
00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:37.279
resists being pinned beneath it. If you're not careful, history
137
00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.639
can be a real weight and an anchor around you,
138
00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.000
and you can feel suffocated by it and restricted by
139
00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:44.439
it too much. And I think it's important to live
140
00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:47.920
for the here and now. I want to question things more.
141
00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:50.720
I think it's very important that tradition stays, and tradition
142
00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:52.680
has a huge part in all of this, but there's
143
00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:54.879
also points where you look at tradition and go is
144
00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:58.199
that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the
145
00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:01.600
right thing to do? Doing and having the most impact
146
00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:04.040
we could be having. So I like to question things.
147
00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:06.920
Is what I'm really getting at? There was one glance
148
00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:09.639
ahead to another future reign as well. It's an interesting question,
149
00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:11.720
and it's a big question, that one, he said of
150
00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:14.920
Prince George one day becoming king, because there are lots
151
00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:17.519
of things to think about with that. But obviously I
152
00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:19.160
want to create a world in which my son is
153
00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:21.279
proud of what we do, a world and a job
154
00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:24.480
that actually does impact people's lives for the better. That
155
00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:26.639
is caveatd with I hope we don't go back to
156
00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:28.920
some of the practices in the past that Harry and
157
00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:30.720
I had to grow up in, and I'll do everything
158
00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.319
I can to make sure we don't regress in that situation.
159
00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.879
The hour was living with lighter assides, memories of charging
160
00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:40.439
down the long corridors of Saint George's halls of child
161
00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:44.120
pub crawls during his Saint Andrew's days, and a confessed
162
00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:47.720
soft spot for Eugene Levy's cult comedies. I heard you
163
00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:49.519
were in town, so I thought, why not get you
164
00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:52.199
over here? I was a big fan of your earlier films,
165
00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:55.199
Eugene and all the American pis. When Levy asked who
166
00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:58.000
he watched them with, the answer was simple, lots of
167
00:07:58.000 --> 00:07:58.560
my friends.
168
00:07:58.839 --> 00:07:59.040
You know.
169
00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.160
Lev for his part, left windsor struck by the tone
170
00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.040
rather than the scoop. To me, it was just a conversation.
171
00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:07.279
I wasn't thinking about it in my own mind as
172
00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:09.720
any kind of scoop. He was telling me what his
173
00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:11.680
thoughts were and we were able to have a little
174
00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:14.720
back and forth. It was a totally surreal day for me,
175
00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:17.839
and surfling back to the trials of the past year.
176
00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:20.600
The Prince's closing sentiment was both personal and forward looking.
177
00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:23.120
You know, life has sent to testers as well, and
178
00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:25.720
it definitely can be challenging at times, and being able
179
00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:27.959
to overcome that is what makes us who we are.
180
00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:30.560
I'm so proud of my wife and my father for
181
00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.120
how they've handled all of last year. My children have
182
00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:36.879
managed brilliantly as well. More Pallace in just a moment,
183
00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:44.039
Royal inside a deep Crown tells palace intrigue. When I
184
00:08:44.039 --> 00:08:47.080
saw William in conversation with Eugene Levy, I was reminded
185
00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:51.919
immediately of Harry's preferred style, the casual setting, the confessional tone,
186
00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:55.519
the sprinkling of celebrity. Yet the contrast could not be clearer.
187
00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:59.039
Harry's interviews have too often been consumed by grievance, whereas
188
00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:02.720
William's words carried intention. He was not setting scores, he
189
00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:05.799
was outlining the monarch he means to become. William appears
190
00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:08.159
to be adopting just enough of Harry's approach to connect
191
00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:10.600
with a modern audience, while steering it toward a far
192
00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:14.559
more constructive message. He admits to vulnerability, he speaks candidly
193
00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:17.480
of family, but always returns to resilience, duty and the
194
00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:21.240
promise of measured change. Where Harry looks backward, William looks forward.
195
00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:23.799
It shows me William has read the public mood. He
196
00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:26.879
understands that authenticity is now essential, yet he couples it
197
00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:29.200
with a sense of direction. This was not a man
198
00:09:29.279 --> 00:09:32.600
unburdening himself, but an air rehearsing the language of kingship.
199
00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:35.519
And if you'd like even more from Deep Crown, don't forget.
200
00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:38.200
He writes a free weekly substack with his most candid
201
00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:40.519
insights into the royal family. You can find that at
202
00:09:40.679 --> 00:09:44.039
Deepcrown dot co dot uk, or just search for Deep
203
00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:48.159
Crown on Substack. For kala Ogre Plus Premium subscribers, you
204
00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:51.679
can also hear Deep Crown's weekly commentary every Sunday, full
205
00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.440
column read aloud. If you're an Apple podcast, just have
206
00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:58.200
that banner up there that says uninterrupted listening to subscribe
207
00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:02.639
plus tomorrow Crown and Controversy Season two. The next episode
208
00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:07.120
is out along with Crown and Controversy Norway The Royal Rebels,
209
00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:10.159
and we've got another new series coming your way soon.
210
00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:13.039
We'll tell you about that. You can get those all
211
00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:18.360
in advance and commercial free with the Uninterrupted Listening as
212
00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.559
a subscriber. It's five bucks a month. Check it out.
213
00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:23.399
We really appreciate your support. Bhi, Mike Francis, my Things
214
00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:26.519
to John mcturmott, this is Palace Intrigue and good terms