Prince William has spoken candidly about fatherhood, his vision for the monarchy and the lessons he has taken from his own childhood, saying he is determined to “avoid the mistakes” of the past.
“The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy”, which premiered on Friday, September 19, follows Mr Levy as he embarks on a personal bucket list journey through eight countries — including the UK, where he meets Prince William.
In the episode, the Prince of Wales reflected on his role as both a future king and a father of three, outlining the approach he wants to take in raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
“I want to create a world in which my son [Prince George] is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better,” William said.
Prince William 'wants to avoid the mistakes' King Charles made when raising him and Prince Harry
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“That is caveated with, I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry [only mention of him in whole episode] and I had to grow up in – and I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”
Pressed on whether this outlook signals that the monarchy itself will shift under his stewardship, he replied: “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, is the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen.”
The 42-year-old acknowledged that tradition can weigh heavily on the institution he will one day lead.
Charles and Diana with Prince William, right, and Prince Harry, relaxing in Tresco in 1989
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“I think if you’re not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it, and restricted by it too much,” he said.
“And I think it’s important to live for the here and now. I think if you’re too intrinsically attached to the history, you can’t possibly have any flexibility, because you worry that the chess pieces move too much and therefore no change will happen - and I like a little bit of change.”
William has previously spoken about his desire to modernise aspects of royal life. In this latest conversation, he linked his views on leadership to the way he and his wife, Princess Kate, try to bring up their children at home.
“Yes, definitely, I think it’s really important that that atmosphere is created at home,” he explained.
The Prince of Wales discussed how much he misses his grandparents during a candid chat with Eugene Levy in a new episode of Apple TV’s The Reluctant Traveler
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Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and the Prince of Wales watching the military procession for the 80th anniversary of VE Day
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“You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love. That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood. My parents got divorced at 8, so that lasted a short period of time.
“But, you take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parents.
“I think we all try and do that, and I just want to do what’s best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you’re small really affects you when you're older.”
His words reflect a desire to protect his children from the turbulence that shaped his early years, while also balancing respect for tradition with the need for evolution in the monarchy.