Prince William: A Modern King (2024) | Full Documentary

[Music] William is a very determined man I think he will be very much a king who knows his own mind he's likes to be in control of his life and in control of the situation around him I think he takes the role very seriously I think he believes in Mony some of my earliest memories relate to times my parents spoke to me um or even better showed me what it meant to have both privilege and responsibilities I think when William becomes king he will be very much more modern and I think he'll be much more the people's King doing a job like this is worthwhile valuable and to me there's an element of Duty about it if you didn't know him and didn't hadn't seen photographs you wouldn't know that he was an air of the throne he doesn't have airs and graces at all he's friendly he's funny he's very special he's got a great deal of Charisma he's kind he's thoughtful and that really breaks the ice with anybody this family has service sort of you know running through them William has got it his father's got it but I think he's also very much much more a man of the mod age and of the people than any previous monarchs crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace throughout the evening then at 10:25 their patience was rewarded with the formal notice of the birth it was signed by Mr George Pinker the Queen's gynecologist and other doctors who attended the princess the crowd cheered to the echo Diana had been the fairy tale princess and her marriage to Charles was the public were absolutely ecstatic and when Diana then became pregnant and announced she was pregnant again the public were absolutely [Applause] thrilled you know people were there with champagne bottles and it it was a it was a great occasion when Prince Charles emerged at 11 they roared their congratulations there was the B now traditional girl waiting to plant a kiss and the prince told reporters his son was marvelous to tell at the moment how do you feel I'm obviously relieved and delighted it's marvelous it's rather grownup thing I find brother was shocked to my sister he's in marous form does the baby he looks marvelous yes fair fair sort of blondish who who does he look BL go something else later on who does he look like sir you or his mother you can't tell yet is he the pr idea is he the prettiest baby in the world well he's not bad they have been singing well done Charlie let's have another one on the program of events hell give us a chance you asked my wife I don't think she'd be too pleased just yet the fact that Diana produced a little boy an air um I think just further endeared her to the British public people loved her even more and when she came out holding Prince William with Prince Charles images that really just melted I think even the most hardened Hearts around the country and it was it was a cause for great celebration um Britain had come through a difficult time and I think the royal family were giving the country something to look forward [Music] to being a new mother there were there were obviously challenges for for Diana but being a new mother and being a member of the Royal Family and trying to juggle everything within the confines of Kensington Palace I think really did take their [Music] toll the skies were clear this morning as the Royal Australian Air Force jet made its approach prince and princess emerged showing no sign of the long flight and obviously well educated in the right sort of clothes to wear in central Australia Diana did make the decision to hire a nanny for Prince William I think she was always paranoid as both of the boys were growing up that they might become too close to their nanny in fact she she fired one of the nannies a wonderful woman called Barbara Barnes who both William and Harry doed on because it was Barbara Barnes who William would run to and jump into bed with in the morning not Diana so there was that constant struggle of wanting to be the perfect mother and wanting to be the perfect princess and I think she found it hard to reconcile those remember she was still very [Music] young time carry every the princess wisely hedging her V and told us she would not guarantee that the 10mon old [Music] Prince William had a a fairly traditional aristocratic childhood his parents were were you know Diana particularly was a modern parent but she was a modern aristocratic parent and she did use nannies and the nannies really were the people that William spent most of his time with he had been a very outgoing little boy he at his first school he was known as Basher Basher Wills or Basher whales cuz he was you know quite stroppy and confident [Music] after his early years at ludgrove school the Young Prince William entered the gates of Eaton College where he fitted in easily to its centuries old traditions and where he found like-minded people for their eldest son's big day the Princess of Wales was in the driving seat with the Prince of Wales at her side Eaton's most famous new boy was with his younger brother Harry in the back but from the moment he appeared in front of the cameras it was clear that the second in L to the throne didn't want to play ball head bowed Prince William looked the other way his arrival at Britain's top Public School marked initially by a spirit of non-cooperation accompanied by housem Dr Andrew gayy the royal family went into Manor House Williams home for the next 5 years William enjoyed eaten enormously he went into a house that was sort of carefully chosen with a housem was called Dr Andrew gayy and he was it was a perfect match for for and he was a a very sympathetic kind man and ran a very Happy House unfortunately although William enjoyed his time at Eaton it was of course blighted by the tragic death of his mother [Music] within the last few moments the Press Association in Britain citing unnamed British sources has reported that Diana Princess of Wales has died this is not yet confirmed by any official source so an unconfirmed uh Source from the Press Association is that Diana Princess of Wales has died I have a terrible feeling that this is this is true [Music] [Music] you know how does any 15-year-old and 12-year-old cope with that um it was devastating for them obviously it wasn't you know like the death of of any other any normal parent because in with the death of a normal parent you don't have the world grieving it was almost as though their grief was being devalued by the grief of strangers William William thank you so much thank you thank you very [Music] much on the day of the funeral William and Mar walked behind the cage um it was a long walk and the the were crowds sobbing and and wailing and um hundred thousands and thousands of people lining the route and they walked with their father uh their grandfather and Charles Spencer she would want us today to pledge ourselves to protecting her beloved boys William and Harry from a similar fate and I do this here di on your behalf we will not allow them to suffer the anguish that used regularly to drive you to tearful Despair and beyond that on behalf of your mother and sisters I pledge that we your blood family will do all we can to continue the imaginative and loving way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by Duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned we fully respect the Heritage into which they have both been born and will always respect and encourage them in their Royal role but we like you recognize the need for them to experience as many different aspects of life as possible to arm them spiritually and emotionally for the years ahead I know you would have expected nothing less from us William and Harry we all care desperately for you today we are all chewed up with sadness at the loss of a woman who wasn't even our mother how great your suffering is we cannot even [Music] imagine after graduating from Eaton Prince William decided on a gap here now he's off to the plains of Patagonia for a 10we Expedition I wanted to do something constructive um in my Gap here rather than um I mean uh I could do quite a lot of work but I thought this is a bit more of a way of um making uh trying to help people out and U meet a whole range of other different people from um different countries and at the same time helping people um in remote areas of Chile I think we very much seeing a royal for the new century very relaxed not stage managed um happy to Josh a bit uh with his father in an informal way but not scared to say exactly what he's feeling and uh certainly not prepared to dodge the difficult issues through his early voluntary work with rally International the Young Prince set off for chile where he spent 3 months working on various Community projects painting chopping wood and even cleaning the lose just like everybody else yeah likely but not quite and he walks out of this competition head held low not very happy there was no question in any of the Gap here actually that he was a prince and treated differently he mucked in he slept in sleeping bags you know he he cooked food around a campfire he did everything that everyone else did a few weeks later a young Kate Middleton also undertook a similar voluntary role and on that occasion they just missed each other [Music] [Applause] [Music] Prince William loves Scotland and it didn't take him long to decide to continue his education at the University of St [Music] Andrews he did well enough to get not a place at Oxbridge which could have been fixed for him there was speculation that he would go to Trinity College Cambridge as his father did but he was sufficient of his own man to say now I want to go to Scot I like Scotland he chose St Andrew's University very ancient University in the Kingdom of F and so by chance did Kate Middleton and that of course where they were both first year students freshers that's where they met they spent the first year as undergraduates really getting to know each other William was not particularly happy in his course they were both doing history of Art and uh Kate was was really great actually at trying to keep him focused keep him incentivized and actually stop him from leaving St Andreas which was at one point what he wanted to do um he didn't leave he switched course and they spent the next four years living together and falling in love the people of s Andrews are a very close-knit sort of society and they welcomed William with open arms and they were very protective of him and as a result you know he he spent life he spent four years there as a pretty normal student I think the wonderful thing about St Andrews was it was a bubble away from reality it was it was a life that Prince William had never been able to enjoy whether it was going to the local Shops going to a local bar going for his morning swim he could get on with his life and his relationship in private at all times they were highly discreet they were almost never seen together they were even with their friends they didn't allow any gossip to start people speculated but there was nothing uh definite which proved that they were an item and I think the pair of them absolutely loved those years they look upon those St Andrews years with with great fondness and they are patrons of St Andrew's University because they feel such a strong connection to that place how's your University been how's I'm going very well yeah there's not too bad I just finished my exams I've done two and I've got uh well hopefully no more to take but I've got my geography dissertation to start preparing so that's can take out v h but uh it's it's all going very well You' got four months off there I have yeah how are you going to feel it not long [Music] enough in his own words it is time now for the big wide world but today Williams family like any other well almost came to say a proud farewell to a place that has allowed him a more normal life than any Royal in history that he is deeply grateful is not in and partly of course it's been about this woman they've been allowed to develop a relationship without front page scrutiny and it's helped Catherine [Music] Middleton romance did not stand in the way of hard work and Prince William graduated alongside Kate with a Scottish master of arts degree with upper second class honors of course no graduation would be complete without family to proudly celebrate academic achievement but there are not many who can include the queen in their University graduation William Wales [Music] [Music] there's a long tradition of senior members of the royal family going into the Armed Forces because after all the Monarch is head of the Armed Forces and it's a it's a useful Place really for them to be because certainly in modern times because they are away from the prying eyes of the of the public and the press the media it's a useful service you know they um they get to they get to experience danger and they get to be part of a team and it's great for leadership and for mixing with people from all walks of life which is something that when they're growing up historically they didn't really do so much it's felt that it's extremely important that if you are going to be head of the military that some way you would have served the queen in fact did serve um with uh during World War II um with the women's core Elizabeth is in the ATS or British whack and at the King's request is being treated just like any other trainee Queen Elizabeth herself had an active role during World War II and was the first female member of the royal family to serve in a full-time military role she diagnosed and repaired faulty engines serving in the ATS the Williams grandfather Prince philli served with distinction in World War II and was awarded the Greek war Cross of Valor Rising through the ranks the Young Prince Philip became one of the youngest officers in the Royal Navy to be promoted to first lieutenant Prince William's father served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy qualifying as a helicopter pilot in 1974 and joining the 845 Naval Air Squadron operating from the Commando carrier HMS Hermes both William and were Keen to follow the example of their family and take an active role in the military after passing the selection process to become an army officer Prince William took his place at Sandhurst the Royal Military Academy from which thousands of successful Army careers have been launched Sandhurst used to be filled I think with rather dimwitted sons of the aristocracy um today it is really a you know a very serious Academy it's a very tough course and hugely physical you you pass quite serious exams academic exams to get into Sandhurst and and then once you're there the regime is is pretty um remorseless William got through it the cadets at Sandhurst are divided into companies or divisions as they're called the senior division always has the honor of carrying the color a banner personally given by The Sovereign and as the senior Cadets complete their training so the color is passed on the academy RSM receives the color and carries it to the new senior division of the next year Willam clearly leared how to march in Step here at Sandhurst by all accounts he was a natural Soldier considered to be amongst the best in his year the 44-week training course is grueling and it's reported that William found enormous strength during this period and made friends who remain close and loyal to this day next year sees the 60th anniversary of the formation of the royal Military Academy Sandhurst the spiritual home of the officer core of the British Army and the high standards which it continues to demand of its Cadets have been exemplified by your impressive drill and turn today the Academy's principal aim is to develop the qualities of leadership character and intellect demanded of an army officer on first appointment I place that trust in you with confidence and my prayers for your success and safety will follow you wherever you may be called upon to serve graduating with the rank of Lieutenant Wales William followed his younger brother into the blues and Royals as a troop Commander which meant a further 5 Monon training at bovington camp in Dorset Harry had been to Sandhurst ahead of William because he didn't do he didn't go to university and he had joined the blues and Royals regiment um William when he when he graduated from sanur when he passed out he also joined the blues and Royals but because of the way that um the regiments uh rotated in their deployments it was quite clear that William was not actually going to make it to Afghanistan his regiment wouldn't go there um for 18 months and rather than sit around um kicking his heels doing training work in in this country he decided to go and look at the other forces Prince William moved to the Royal Air Force and in 2008 he completed a 12-week intensive flying training course at Raf College Cranwell Prince William will arrive here January 2008 and he'll be attached to the Royal Air Force for 4 months and during that time there'll be some fine training and he'll also then go on to operational squadrons to see how the operational side of the royal Air Force operates I think everybody's very excited I know Prince William's Keen to come here and Learn to Fly and the instructors who've been chosen to teach him are looking forward to it as well it's a it's a huge honor for for all involved and uh we we have had raw visitors in the past and crownwell especially um with its association with Prince Charles and his flying training everyone is very much very much looking forward to it he's not just another recruit but we are trying to make him uh fit in as much as he can and certainly that's what happened with the Army um so he'll be treated the same as anybody else who wear the same uniform uh and those Associated would call him as they would any other Junior officer in the same rank how's life in the Raa very good enjoying it very much very different from the Army um in certain ways yeah otherwise it's you know it's still the same sort of um sort of camaraderie and everyone getting along really well I understand you flew your first solo flight yesterday I did yeah how did it go um well I'm still here to tell a tale and I haven't been built for a plane so so far it looks all right but um it was one of those experiences whereby I thought it'll never come around and I thought you know hopefully bit longer yet I get back with practice the next thing I know when Str jumps out and goes go on get on with it and I was left there sort of looking around the room go uh what so uh I just did it and once you get up in the air it was fine wasn't so bad his father had loved flying his grandfather had loved flying um it was very much in the blood I think and he and his brother of course Harry loved flying so the two brothers became helicopter pilots in the end once again proud parents were able to play an active role on graduation day so he was presenting William with his wings I mean it must he must have felt hugely proud but also um a sort of Bittersweet moment for Charles because he himself wasn't able to carry on with his flying career because it was thought too dangerous for the air to the throne flying officer William Wales graduating with number 227 and number 97 [Applause] horses after serving in both the Army and the Royal Air Force William was then seconded to train with the Navy spending 3 weeks at the britania Royal Navy College in Dartmouth so having leared to to fly an airplane um he then went to do to explore the Navy to get a taste of the Navy and he went out to the Caribbean um on a a drug policing um vessel and during his time there um he did he was part of a crew that busted a huge huge drugs Hall worth millions of pounds um so he he experienced quite a lot of excitement um and probably quite a lot of danger actually William extended his Royal Naval short service commission for as long as possible and it's reported that he greatly enjoyed his time in the senior service but he was called back to the Royal Air Force and promoted to flight Lieutenant taking up training to become a helicopter pilot in the RAF search and rescue service he was not going into a battlefield nobody knew who he was up in an in a helicopter and yet it was very real and meaningful work to me I didn't join the forces to be like I said a lot times before Molly cuddled or treated any different and as far as I'm concerned in my eyes if Harry can do it then I can do it uh I don't really separate us in that much difference and I think as a future head of the Armed Force it's really important that I was get you at least get the opportunity uh to be credible and to do the job that I signed up for uh and to do the best I can and that's all I ever wanted to do and the search and rescue role is now you know slightly different to obviously being able to go to Afghanistan but is still doing an important job and I hope that it's yeah I hope it's step in the right direction exactly for the future flight Lieutenant Wales graduated in January 2010 from the Defense helicopter flying school at Raf shawb Prince William then transferred to ARF Valley at angle sea becoming the first member of the royal family since Henry iith to live in Wales for the next 8 months he trained on the Sea King helicopter and was assigned to Sea flight number 22 Squadron as a co-pilot well before I started search and rescue I had a little brief uh introduction to it and it was immediate to me um I spent 3 hours flying with the guys and it was totally apparent to me straight away how important the job is and the skills the guys employ um The Fly aspects the the general airmanship you need to to have around you and all the wits you need to survive the weather and whatever sort of situation you're thrown into um it definitely is Advanced flying and it's rewarding so it put the two together and it's a fantastic job it's rewarding because every day you come in to work and you don't quite know what's going to happen it's quite exciting in that sense it's unpredictable but at the same time it's great that you get to go out and actually save someone's life hopefully or at least make a difference to someone you know when you know that they're in trouble you do everything you can can to try and get there and the guys demonstrate that every single day they go out and with the team environment there is in the copit um is very much sort of big family in this guy and and the guys did a fantastic job it's absolutely fantastic I mean when William first arrived in the Squadron it was a massive shock to all of us fairly done founded really that somebody was such a trti was coming onto our Squadron but very quickly settled into just one of the guys and one of us one part of the family certainly um and dayto day you don't even really notice I suppose in 10 15 years time when we look back on this occasion not seem very very special and memorable and but he's he's a great guy to there was a a key moment in his life it was in 2011 there had been a huge devastating earthquake in New Zealand and William said to his private secretary is anyone from the royal family going down to New Zealand because if they're not I would like to go and and you know represent the queen and and express our sorrow what's happened and his private say you can't possibly do this you know you haven't got time how are you going to work out you know you've got this these number of shifts you've got to do with the with search and rescue he said it's all right I've sorted all of that just find out whether whether I can go whether anyone else is going so he did and he went and he stood side by side with people who'd lost loved ones homes businesses you know know that the scenes there were absolutely devastating my grandmother once said that grief is the price we pay for love here today we love and we grieve for you who are so close to these events and who have lost so much it must be hard to grasp the degree of admiration indeed all with which you are regarded by the rest of the world and that was the point at which I think William went from being a young man to a future king flying himself into the land his family have worked for Generations Ian Craig's plane touches down in Laya the Romantic Hideway Prince William chose to make his proposal you produce a ring yeah there and then I did yeah I'd been carrying it around with me in my rock sack for about 3 weeks before that and uh I literally would not let it go everywhere I went I was keeping a hold of it CU I knew this thing if it disappeared I'd be in a lot of trouble um and yeah because I plannned it it sort of it went fine as you know you hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong it went really really well and uh yeah I was really pleased she said yes I think it was very telling that he chose to give Kate Middleton his mother's engagement ring and he said I want my mother to be part of this to be present not in a Sinister way of course not not the ghost at the feast but there to enjoy the celebrations and the fun of it all of a great occasion [Music] [Music] on the 29th of April 2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton married in Westminster Abbey it was a cause for big celebration crowds gathered from far away to take part in the day after all Kate Would One Day become Queen consort like the nation took Kate to their hearts and she has been by his side ever since this was very much a a a wedding their personal wedding okay it was very very public obviously it was televised and and the world was watching but it was essentially um their private wedding and that's how they kind of treated it um and it it was very touching and and Kate looked absolutely stunning [Music] [Applause] like many young newlyweds in the services juty called and flight Lieutenant Wales was deployed to the folkland islands becoming part of a fourman crew providing cover for Aviation assets and assisting those in need of rescue search and rescue Pilots here provide 24-hour coverage um with the seeking helicopter they're on duty for a 24-hour period um and covering any eventuality um as you've seen the the distances here are quite large the roads are not fantastic and if we need to get somebody military or civilian to hospital um quite often Search and Rescue helicopters the best way of doing it balancing home and family life with a career can be difficult Kate gave birth of their first child Prince George in July 2013 the media camped out in excitement to catch a glimpse of the Future King K and William greeted the press and introduced Prince George to the world after this flight Lieutenant William Wales took the decision to retire from active service in the Royal Air Force in September 2013 William I think that time those years as a search and rescue pilot he really felt that he did achieve something it was a real job there were no concessions for who he was he wasn't wrapped up in Cotton wool but the time came where he where the Tour of Duty came to an end and I think he left probably with quite a heavy heart but he'd had a very very good time there um and I think you know he he' absolutely achieved what he set out to achieve retirement from active service did not deter the Future King from looking to the skies to fulfill his career Ambitions and to continue the spirit of service to others in 2014 it was announced that William would accept full-time employment as a pilot with the East anglian air ambulance based at Cambridge airport he made the decision and it was quite a surprise when he announced he wanted to get back into the cockpit because remember he' left the RAF we all thought his um flying days were behind him and actually we'd see the Duke of Cambridge embark on a life of official public duty well that hasn't happened um he's gone back into the cockpit albeit in a different capacity he's flying now with the air ambulance service it's a charity um but it's still a full-time and demanding job Kate and William had another exciting announcement they would be having their second child in May 2015 Kate gave birth to princess Charlotte who would be forth in line to the succession of the throne how he's going to balance that with his new numerous charitable commitments all of his patronages and of course His official duties he's taken on investers now for example has yet to be seen when I spoke to the Palace about exactly how he'd manage everything they seemed incredibly confident in William's ability as a multitasker and someone who will manage to allocate enough time for [Music] everything in April 2018 Kate gave birth to their third child Prince Louie who would be fifth in line of succession family has remained an important part of life for William and the country has been pleased to see more of the young princes George and Louie as well as Princess Charlotte at Royal events I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow throughout her life Her Majesty the queen my beloved mother was an inspiration an example to me and to all my family and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family could owe to their mother for her love affection guidance understanding and example [Music] as my Heir William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me he succeeds me as duke of Cornwell and takes on the responsibilities for the Dutchy of Cornwell which I have undertaken for more than five decades I think he's he's done so much in such a short time and he has such respect from people that I don't think people will compare him to his father I think his father's position of Prince of Wells was unique and William's position of Prince of Wells is very much William and Catherine together they are very much a unit so it's a different a different sort of Force if you like William and Kate I think have their own idea of what they want to do and I think you know you see the these two people moving forward and taking the monarchy forward I say in my book that modernization is a very hard word to use in the context of the royal family because the royal family is built on history and tradition and protocol but actually in William and Kate you see a future king and queen who are driving it forward and taking it on to the next step I think he's mindful of history and won't do anything extraordinary but I think he's also very much much more a man of the of the Modern Age and of the people than any previous monarchs I think when William becomes king you know God willing that he does become king he will be be very much more modern and I think he'll be much more the people's King in the fullness of time when he ascends to the throne as king he will take inspiration from those who have served before him whilst modernizing the monarchy in his own unique way I think his role model is the queen not actually his parents I think he felt that his parents blurred the distinction between the public and the private the queen managed to keep her privacy and her personal life much more to herself and I think William will try and do the same [Music] [Laughter] [Music]

Channel: Royalty TV

Views: 205,175

Keywords: Prince William, Windsors, London, Royal, Royals, King, History, modern king, modern royalty, royalty tv, royal family, princess kate middleton, catherine middleton and prince william, catherine middleton, prince, king, united kingdom

Id: imhuY_r1B4s

Length: 43min 19sec (2599 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 20 2024