William of England was 13 years old when his mother, Diana of Wales, acknowledged in an interview with the BBC that her husband had been unfaithful with Camilla Parker Bowles and that she herself had had a affair with James Hewitt. “There were three of us in my marriage,” the princess confessed in November 1995 before 23 million British people and 200 million television viewers around the world. William, who had just begun his studies at Eton boarding school, followed the so-called “interview of the century” from his tutor's office. When the broadcast ended, Andrew Gailey found him collapsed on the couch, his eyes red with tears. According to the professor, the prince quickly composed himself and ran back to his room. Diana herself told her friend Simone Simmons that that weekend her eldest son reproached her for her lack of caution. He screamed and cried, but the next day he apologized to her and gave her a small bouquet of flowers. Lady Di realized that she had caused him deep and irreparable damage.
Now, at 41 years old, the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom is a person capable of controlling his feelings in public. Royal experts agree that he learned it from his paternal grandmother, the Queen of England, who had the motto “Never talk and never complain.” He can smile when he is sad or appear calm in times of stress and tension. He has shown it in recent weeks. While his wife, the current Princess of Wales, was recovering from abdominal surgery and beginning preventive treatment against cancer, as she herself said last Friday, he returned to work appearing calm. While the world made jokes about his wife's absence and speculated about her marriage, he feigned normality.
Lady Di confessed to Seward that her eldest son never felt comfortable with public exposure. In 1996, when the press published photos of her sunbathing topless in Spain, Guillermo called her to tell her that the other children were laughing at him. Diana told media executive Nicholas Coleridge that her son was being bullied at school, but that he was going to have to learn to deal with the jokes and gossip. The prince learned early on that duty came first: a mantra he painfully made his own when he had to walk behind her mother's coffin at her funeral. He was 15 years old and didn't want to do it, but his grandfather, Philip of Edinburgh, convinced him that if he didn't do it he might regret it for the rest of his life. He hated every second of the long funeral procession, but he hid it by walking with his head down and without raising his eyes.
Diana always defined her eldest son as a person who takes everything seriously, who does not trust the intentions of strangers and who is easy to hurt. “William is the sensitive one,” the princess said to her friends. “But I'm sure he will be able to deal with his problems. He will have to do it.” She also described him as a rational person, but very aware of other people's feelings. Those characteristics of strength and empathy have never been more needed than now. Kate Middleton praised her husband's support in the video she posted last Friday. “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time my condition was thought to be non-cancerous. The surgery was a success. However, tests after the operation found that there was cancer. Therefore, my medical team recommended that I undergo preventive chemotherapy treatment and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” the princess explained. “Of course, this was a great shock, and Guillermo and I have been doing our best to process and manage this privately for the sake of our family. Having Guillermo by my side is a great source of comfort and also peace of mind,” he continued.
The heir has known how to turn some of his traumas into causes. In 2021, a independent investigation concluded that journalist Martin Bashir had used falsified documents to get close to Lady Di and convince her to give the interview in Panorama 1995. After the ruling, the prince declared: “That interview has no legitimacy and should never be broadcast again.” He is a fervent defender of the right to privacy and very critical of bad journalistic practices. When a French magazine published photos of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless in Provence, he supported her in suing the weekly. In 2017, they won the trial and received compensation of 190,000 euros in damages. In a letter he wrote to the court he acknowledged that the publication of those images was “particularly shocking” because it reminded him of the harassment that had led to the death of his mother. He also leads campaigns to give visibility to mental health problems and the bullying. On more than one occasion he has denounced that bullying is no longer limited to schools and that new technologies leave us more vulnerable.
In recent weeks, he and his wife have suffered firsthand with the hoaxes and mockery that have circulated on the internet. The next few months will not be easy. The prince will have to deal with the illness of his father and his wife, take care of three minor children and lead the monarchy. And he will have to do it under the watchful eye of public opinion and the meticulous scrutiny of the media and social networks.
The pressure will be considerable. But, as journalist Harriet Sherwood has explained, he will be able to devote himself to his family and take all the time he needs “without financial worries or fear of losing his job.” “Many spouses or couples in a similar situation have to make difficult decisions,” Sherwood noted. this weekend in Guardian. “Balancing work and caring for someone with cancer can be difficult. The charity Macmillan Cancer Support advises trying to find a 'balance between the support you want to provide and what you can do' and talking to employers about possible flexible working arrangements.” The journalist concluded: “Many people depend on the support – practical and emotional – of close family members. It is not the first time that Guillermo may be reflecting on the breakdown of his once close relationship with his brother Enrique, who now lives thousands of miles away and is largely estranged from his family. “Many families come together in a crisis and strengthen mutual bonds, this seems unlikely for royalty.” Prince Harry himself seemed to open that door during a television interview last February, after a quick visit to his father in London. “An illness in the family can have a reunifying effect. “Is that possible in this case?” asked the interviewer. “Absolutely. Yes, I'm sure. I see it every day, in many families, the strength of the family unit that comes together. “I think any illness brings families together,” he responded.
For now, Prince William will have to face everything that awaits him with his sick father and without the support of his brother. But he knows there is no other option because in the House of Windsor duty comes first. As his mother said: “He will have to be able to deal with his problems. He will have to do it.”
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