For all his wealth and privilege, it is hard to imagine wanting to be Prince William. Not only was he irrevocably changed by his mother’s tragic death when he was aged 15, but the past year alone has seen his wife and father diagnosed with cancer. His ongoing estrangement from his embarrassing younger brother continues despite the two of them having been in the same room together on at least one occasion. Added to this, an invasive and embarrassing journalistic investigation into his and his father’s landholdings over the weekend has contributed to a sense that the royals exist on an entirely separate plain to the rest of us.
With all this in mind, it was unsurprising that, in an unusually candid interview, William described this as ‘the hardest year in his life’ and said that ‘it’s been dreadful…trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult’. He talked of his pride in his wife and father and their determination to keep things going as best they can – the King’s demanding back-to-work schedule took place while he is still undergoing treatment for cancer. Nevertheless, he was not diminishing the stress that he felt when he confessed that ‘from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal’.
With all due respect to the Queen’s memory, the events of this year have been considerably worse
William made his remarks while attending the Earthshot awards in Cape Town. It was in South Africa that his grandmother made her famous speech on her 21st birthday when she pledged that ‘my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong’.
While William made no comment as emollient or affecting as that, any royal knows that they are treading on the legacy of other family members whenever and wherever they make a public statement. Indeed, it is impossible not to recall the late Queen’s remarks in November 1992 that the year had been an ‘annus horribilis’ for her, thanks to the fire at Windsor Castle, three of her children’s marriages ending and the embarrassing publication of private conversations between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. Yet, with all due respect to her memory, the events of this year have been considerably worse: foedissimum annum, perhaps.
Still, there are comforting prospects too. The Earthshot awards – William’s equivalent of Harry’s Invictus Games – began with a performance of ‘Circle of Life’ from The Lion King. The prince then commented ‘I don’t know about everyone else, but hearing the Lion King gets me quite emotional’. Perhaps there is something in the storyline that resonates with him, about a carefree young lion cub who is forced to grow up and take responsibility in difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, the Lion King’s devilish villain, the wicked Uncle Scar, can hardly be compared to William’s buffoonish Uncle Andrew, who has recently been given his financial independence by his sick-of-it-all elder brother.
Given that William’s estrangement from Prince Harry shows no signs of coming to an end, perhaps the beleaguered prince may have cracked a wry smile at recent reports that President Trump – no fan of Harry, believing him to have disrespected his grandmother, who Trump idolised – may choose to look into the Duke of Sussex’s revelations of recreational drug use in Spare. This would most likely reignite the row over his visa and eligibility to stay in America. Harry, expelled from Montecito and returned to his homeland in disgrace? It’s enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.
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