Prince William: The Future of the Monarchy (2023) #documentary #watchnow #royalfamily

[Music] at the moment they are the golden couple the royal family is built on history and tradition and protocol but actually William and Kate you see a future king and queen who are driving it forward and taking it on to the next step never before have members of the royal family been seen in the same way as we view celebrities but Kate and William are a very good looking pair and because they come across so down to earth I think we're viewing them in a completely different way [Music] [Applause] [Music] I think he takes the role very seriously and he believes in monarchy I think he will be very much a king who knows his own mind William is a very determined man because on and on and on doesn't this excuse me he will be very much more modern uh that than than his grandmother or his father and I think he'll be much more the people's King some why are these memories relate to times my parents spoke to me or even better showed me what it meant to have both privilege and responsibilities [Music] [Music] following the death of his dearest and most revered grandmother Queen Elizabeth II Prince William's father now Charles III ascended to the throne and Prince William took the title of Prince of Wales his Royal Highness Prince William is now second in line to the throne but he has his work cut out following in his Father's Footsteps and keeping up the tradition of Duty and hard work his Destiny is to inherit the crown and succeed to the throne but how does a prince prepare to become king [Music] 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 William now Prince of Wales first-born son of King Charles III and Diana Princess of Wales has always been in the spotlight born second in line to the throne he was destined for a life of Duty and of service [Music] skies were clear this morning and the Royal Australian Air Force jet made its approach prince and princess emerged showing no sign of a long flight and obviously well-educated in the right sort of clothes to wear in central Australia and then the moment more than a hundred reporters in Cameron flew from all over the world to see the public debut of nine-month-old Prince William second in line to the throne of course for Prince William he would have been able to understand little of what was going on around him at the time as his Nanny carried him carefully down the steps of the aircraft onto Australian soil Diana's decision to take her baby Prince William with her on their tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1983 was criticized in some corners of the media but it was a turning point for Diana and the Catalyst for her to grow in popularity with the public [Music] later to protect the young princes William and Harry from The excesses of the press and Paparazzi the royal family came to an agreement with the media that the boys would be free from press intrusion whilst they were being educated and in exchange the family undertook to give regular updates to the mainstream media foreign William had a a fairly traditional aristocratic childhood in as much as he was taken care of by nannies his parents 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 Basho Basha Wills or Basha Wales because he was you know quite stroppy and confident 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 [Music] William threw himself enthusiastically into school life but if there was one area in which he really excelled it would be sport an arena in which he continues to devote his energies to this day seeming to naturally embrace all the principles of sportsmanship and teamwork which make it so important in our lives [Music] unfortunately although William enjoyed his time at Eaton it was of course blighted by the tragic death of his mother [Music] thank you [Music] oh God [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] 15 year old and 12 year old cope with that um it was devastating for them obviously oh [Music] on the day of the funeral William and Harry walked behind the cottage it was a long walk and the the crowds sobbing and and wailing and um hundreds thousands and thousands of people lining the route and they walked with their father their grandfather and Charles Spencer optional and gifted human being in good times and bad she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness I admired and respected her for her energy and commitment to others and especially for her Devotion to her two boys William and Harry we all care desperately for you today we're 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 imagine above all we give thanks for the life of a woman I'm so proud to be able to call my sister the unique the complex the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana whose Beauty both internal and external will never be extinguished from our minds [Music] [Applause] [Music] after graduating from Eaton like many young men of his generation Prince William decided on a gap year now he's off to the plains of Patagonia for a 10-week Expedition industry I wanted to do something constructive in my Gap year rather than I mean I could do quite a lot of work but I thought this was a bit more of a way of making trying to help people out and meet a whole range of our different people from different countries and at the same time helping people in remote areas of Chile [Music] I think we're very much seeing a royal for the new century very relaxed not stage managed I'm happy to Josh a bit with his father in an informal way but not scared to say exactly what he's feeling and certainly not prepared to dodge the difficult issues example of that it's rest in peace through his early voluntary work with rally International the Young Prince set off for chile where he spent three months working on various Community projects painting chopping wood and even cleaning the loose just like everybody else 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 Prince William loves Scotland and it didn't take him long to decide to continue his education at the University of Saint 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 Scotland I like Scotland he chose Saint Andrews University a very ancient University in the Kingdom of Fife and so by chance did Kate Middleton and that of course where they were both first-year students freshers that's where they met it was at St Andrews where that friendship because it was initially a friendship flourished William and Kate were at the same Salvador's they were on the same course in the same year I mean some people say wasn't that just too much of a coincidence but it was how things worked out and 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 Kate was was really great actually at trying to keep him focused keep him incentivized and actually stop him from leaving San Andreas which was at one point what he wanted to do and he didn't leave he switched course and they spent the next four years living together and falling in love the people of Saint 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 Saint 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 there 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 definite which proved that they were an item and I think the pair of them absolutely with great fondness and they are patrons of Saint Andrews University because they feel such a strong connection to that place 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 doubt 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 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 [Applause] [Music] the British royal family have served the Armed Forces for Generations 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 the reason it's important for members of the royal family to serve in the military is because one day as Prince Wales it's felt that it's extremely important that if you are going to be head of the military that in some way you would have served the queen in fact did serve with 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 William's grandfather Prince Philip served with distinction in World War II and was awarded the Greek war Cross of Valor ising 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 Prince Charles stepped out from the Fleet air arms headquarters at ubleton in Somerset today in perfect flying weather for his first hour's instruction at the controls of a Wessex Mark V helicopter it's the start of a three and a half month flying course at the end of which he'll be qualified like his father Prince Philip to fly helicopters including those belonging to the Queen's flight qualifying as a helicopter pilot in 1974 and joining the 845 Naval Air Squadron operating from the Commando carrier HMS Hermes in February 1976 Prince Charles was promoted to command and he took control of HMS bronington a coastal mine hunter for his last nine months in the Royal Navy to be associated with all three services it'd be a very good idea to do an attachment with each one I think it gives on a very useful experience very expensive responsibility and discipline I think responsibility is the most important thing is the actual trust that's putting you to deal with other people and you're feeling that they can perhaps put their trust in you as well both William and Harry 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 dim-witted sons of the aristocracy 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 Liam clearly learned 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 of the formation of the royal Military Academy Sandhurst the spiritual home of the officer Corps of the British army [Music] by our impressive drill and turnout 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 five-month training at bovington camp in Dorset a 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 Sandhurst when he passed out he also joined the blues and Royals but because of the way that um the regiments 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 for 18 months and rather than sit around 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 four 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 have been chosen to teach him are looking forward to it as well is the group tutor it's the raf's elementary fine training aircraft all our Pilots come into this at the first stage of their training as soon as they finish officer training so the course mates for flying off to Wales will be doing exactly the same training as him at this stage it's fairly docile to fly it's something you can find similar to at a flying Club but it's also fully aerobatic so it's quite a capable aircraft and we can up the pace quite quickly which is what we do on our training course this is a takano t-mark1 trainer it's the basic fastjet trainer for the Royal Air Force and Prince William is going to be coming to us from his tutor flying to expand his flying skills give him some more complicated and Advanced Techniques and then progressing onto the squirrel phase of his course prior to the award of wings it's going to be a very exciting period it's a privilege to train Prince William with regard to how he'll be treated he's going to be treated the same as all the rest of our students and all the junior officers we work with and the Air Force is known as the squirrel and ours is specifically the as350bb which is unique to the Air Force only in pure terms of what the aircraft has on to has on it in terms of equipment we use it for basic military training for all Army Navy and Air Force of rotary students in the UK so the prints will fly both the tutor and the takano before coming to Strawberry to fly the squirrel it's a huge honor for for all involved and uh we we have had raw visitors in the past and cramwell especially 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 as fit in as much as he can and certainly that's what happened with the army so he'll be treated the same as anybody else who'll wear the same uniform and those associated with what we call them as they would any other Junior officer in the same rank 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 alright but um it was one of those experiences where I thought it'll never come around and I thought you know hopefully a bit longer yet I'll get mobile practice the next year and then when struts jumps out and goes go and get on with it and I was left there sort of looking around there and go uh what so uh I just did it and once you get up in the air it was fine it 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 heir to the throne flying Officer William Wales graduating with number two thank you foreign in both the Army and the Royal Air Force William was then seconded to train with the Navy spending three weeks at the Britannia Royal Navy College in Dartmouth so Having learned 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 on a drug policing vessel and during his time there he did he was part of a crew that busted a huge huge drugs Hall worth millions of pounds um so he experienced quite a lot of excitement 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 he was called back to the Royal Air Force and promotes it to flight Lieutenant taking up training to become a helicopter pilot in the RAF search and rescue service he was not going into a 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 last night 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 I don't really separate us from that much difference and I think as future head of the Armed Force it's really important that I was at least get the opportunity to be credible and to do the job that I signed up for and to do the best I can and that's all I ever wanted to do and the session rescue role is now you know slightly different so obviously being able to go to Afghanistan but it's still doing an important job and I hope that it's yeah I hope it's a step in the migration is actually for future the training is demanding and includes Advanced handling night flying emergency handling and tactical and formation flying on the Griffin ht1 helicopter it's an operational conversion Unit 203 Squadron Royal Air Force Bali to fly the Sea King flight Lieutenant Wales graduated in January 2010 from the Defense helicopter flying school at Raf strawberry [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Prince William then transferred to RAF Valley at Anglesey becoming the first member of the royal family since Henry VII to live in Wales for the next eight months he trained on the Sea King helicopter and was assigned to see flight number 22 Squadron as a co-pilot well before I started such rescue I had a little brief introduction to it and it was immediate to me I spent three hours flying with the guys it was totally apparent to me straight away how important the job is and the skills the guys employ the flying 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 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 into 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 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 cockpit it's very much sort of big family in the sky and the guys did a fantastic job we've got 11 Pilots here Williams a fairly new co-pilot but as such he he flows the aircraft as much as anyone else and he'll be called upon quite regularly during jobs to take control of the aircraft while the captain's doing something else regarding a hierarchy we're all pretty much uh we're all of equal rank um just with different varying levels of experience so and we all get on very very well together have a joke and I laugh when we're we're on the ground and get serious when we're flying it's absolutely fantastic I mean when William first arrived on the Squadron it was a massive shock to all of us fairly dumbfounded really that somebody was such a prestigious coming on to our Squadron but very quickly settled into this one of the guys and one of us part of the family certainly and day to day you don't even really notice I suppose in 10 15 years time when we look back on this occasion I've seen very very special and memorable and but he's a great guy to work with when you're flying along at night in Snowdon you're in other mountains and you've got 40 knot winds the clouds down to about 200 feet and you're trying to get through to find someone who's either broken the leg or is lost from the hill it gets quite interesting you have to use all four of you put your brain power together and your skill and basically hope that you know you can actually get there and help there was 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 perhaps says he can't possibly do this you know you haven't got time how are you going to work up 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 the 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 and that was the point at which I think William went from being a young man to a future king Family Life beckoned and during his time at Aria Valley it was announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton were to marry [Music] flying himself into the land his family have worked for Generations Ian Craig's plane touches down in leiwa the Romantic Hideaway Prince William chose to make his proposal producerin yeah there and then I did yeah I've been carrying around with me in my rucksack for about three weeks before that and I literally would not let it go ever I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing if it disappeared I've been in a lot of trouble and yeah because I planned it it sort of it went fine as you know you'll hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things get horribly wrong it went really really well and uh yeah I was very pleased she said yes good [Music] 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 and I think people are very well aware of the background and they certainly have a great deal of um uh sympathy and they're almost willing them to be happy because he particularly has had difficulties in his life [Music] on the 29th of April 2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton married in Westminster Abbey the nation took Kate to their hearts and she has been by his side ever since [Music] this was very much 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 was very touching and and Kate looked absolutely stunning thank you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 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 [Music] foreign like many young newlyweds in the services Duty called and flight Lieutenant Wales was deployed to the Falkland Islands becoming part of a four-man crew providing cover for Aviation assets and assisting those in need of rescue search and rescue Pilots here provide 24-hour coverage with a seeking helicopter they're on duty for a 24-hour period and covering any eventuality 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 quite often certain Rescue helicopters the best way of doing it 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 an excitement to catch a glimpse of the Future King 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 had a very very good time there and I think you know he absolutely achieved what he set out to achieve [Music] 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 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 fourth in line to the succession of the throne he made the decision and it was quite a surprise when he announced he wanted to get back into the cockpit because remember he'd left the RAF we all thought his 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 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 but it's still a full-time and demanding job it also means he can have a career aside from the royal family and it's in a perfect Arena of course because he's going out and helping to save lives so it ticks all of those boxes equally I think because he can base himself further up north and away from Kensington Palace which he considers a bit of a goldfish Bowl he can enjoy the idyllic life helping to bring up the children at least in the next few years while they're still very young in April 2018 Kate gave birth to their third child Prince Louis 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 Louis as well as Princess Charlotte at Royal events I think everything that William has done in his life has colored what he the Charities that he's chosen to support you know the conservation comes from his time in Africa his interest in the welfare of ex military personnel comes from his time in in the military his experience as an air ambulance pilot the people he saw there the injuries Central welfare is also tied up in all of that William and Kate to me are about the future I don't like to to look back and compare her to Diana because she is her own woman and 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 William and Kate you see a future king and queen who are driving it forward and taking it on to the next step [Music] foreign [Music] 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] [Applause] Prince William has clearly demonstrated his ability to win hearts and Minds wherever he goes with a genuine warmth and care for people he meets in the years to come as he serves as Prince of Wales he will no doubt continue to follow his duty and support his father King Charles III 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 he will be very much a king who knows his own mind William is a very determined man 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 months [Music]

Channel: Royalty TV

Views: 780,918

Keywords: prince william, prince william and kate middleton, monarchy documentary, monarchy, royalty family, royal family, william and kate movie, william and kate, william and kate wedding, prince harry, prince harry and meghan markle, princess diana, Future of the Monarchy, prince william the future of the monarchy, prince william future

Id: rpf1-EVMbJo

Length: 43min 33sec (2613 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 20 2023