Royal Historian Doesn’t Think Prince William Was ‘Emotionally Prepared’ for Royal Family Health Crisis

Transcript

00:00Do you feel like William has been handling the pressure well?

00:02Because, you know, this week he's going to be stepping out for the D-Day Remembrance.

00:05I know he's attending the Duke of Westminster's wedding.

00:08So it seems like he's kind of been pulled in a lot of different directions

00:11and maybe taking on a role that he wasn't prepared for yet.

00:16Yeah, I think he, I mean, maybe he wasn't emotionally prepared for it.

00:19You know, his father, yes, is elderly, but his father was famously quite healthy

00:25and, you know, lives well, eats well.

00:28And according to his wife, Queen Camilla, just never stops walking.

00:31Yes.

00:33There's a great interview between her and Judi Dench,

00:36the actress who apparently is one of her best friends.

00:38And they're joking about that the king's sort of like a mountain goat

00:41and you can let him go off in the mountains.

00:42He just has a wonderful time roaming.

00:46I think for Prince William, yes, there is a lot.

00:48I mean, the D-Day commemorations are huge.

00:50There'll be some pretty moving pieces of footage coming out of France.

00:54At the moment, actually, it's mostly American veterans and personnel who've gone back

00:59and certainly had a bit of a lump in my throat seeing it.

01:01It was wonderful to see the reception that they're getting.

01:05The Second World War had such a totemic importance

01:07to many members of the royal family.

01:09One of Elizabeth II's cousins was killed in the service.

01:12Another one was held as a prisoner of war by the Nazis at Kulditz.

01:15So I think, and also, of course, it was a moment when both of Charles III's

01:19grandparents were very prominently in the public eye during the Blitz.

01:23I think they were very keen that as senior or royal as possible would go.

01:28And until the king was, you know, I think the hope was the king would go.

01:32So feeling the king, it should be the heir to the throne.

01:35And whilst that is, you know, it's a huge event.

01:37It's a huge commemoration.

01:39There'll be many eyes on him.

01:40That is the heir to the throne's job.

01:43And it certainly should be something that he is prepared to do.

01:46And I think so far he has shown himself to be more than competent and capable in doing so.

01:52Certainly when it comes to something of the emotional significance

01:57of the D-Day commemorations to many people in Britain and in America,

02:00you do want someone there who is prepared and capable to fulfil the ceremonial role.