This is just a small aside, but the royal rota was pissed last week when Prince William gave an exclusive interview to Sky News when he was in South Africa. They had been diligently embiggening him and he gave a self-pitying exclusive to their rival! So, obviously, Roya Nikkhah at the Times yanked on William’s chain and wouldn’t you know, she got an exclusive too. This is literally the most we’ve heard from Prince William directly in years. Hilariously, these interviews and public comments should have been William platforming Earthshot and, you know, the work itself. Instead, William makes it all about himself, as always. Some highlights from the Times’ interview with Huevo:

William on how he sees his royal role: “I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation. And to give you more of an understanding around it, I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal, if you like. So it’s more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people.”

He spoke with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa about Israel & Palestine: Sources close to William say he continues to “follow the conflict closely” but it is understood the issue is deemed too sensitive for further public interventions.

His public work with focus on projects on the environment, homelessness and mental health: “I’m also going to throw empathy in there as well because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people’s lives and I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world. So that’s what I’m trying to bring, that’s what Catherine is trying to bring as well. I sit here right now doing Earthshot and projects like Homewards [his homelessness project] as well — and who knows what’s going to come next — but it all centres around those values of trying to help deliver change and make those lives better.”

On Kate’s recovery: “I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up,” he said. It is understood the couple plan to visit several European destinations in 2025, but without Prince George, 11, Charlotte, 9 and Prince Louis, 6. William said: “Family-wise, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer because obviously they’re at school and I think that takes priority over everything else.”

The toll on William: A close friend of William’s said coping with his father and wife’s illness had “taken a huge toll” on the prince, adding: “He’ll be OK if Catherine is OK.”

The Cop29 conference next year: His attendance at next year’s Cop alongside world leaders is part of William’s developing statesman role, which aides say is now a “golden thread” running through his work.

[From The Times]

As a long-time reader of British royal reporting, you have no idea how much I laugh whenever William’s people start yammering about “the golden thread.” It is the most idiotic expression I’ve ever heard to describe William and Kate’s abject laziness and aimlessness. William wanders around, doing f–k all and then he says, no, all of that was part of the golden thread of my work. Kate does it too – circa 2018, suddenly Kate’s work had a “golden thread” AND a five-question survey!

“I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal, if you like. So it’s more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people.” It’s almost like he sees himself as a self-styled, independent philanthropist and activist like… Prince Harry. I thought the whole point of William’s existence is that HE is better than Harry because William has the platform, the palaces, the attention, the media and the slumlord money. William has been screaming “AREN’T YOU JEALOUS OF ME, HARRY?” for years. William’s people even told reporters that Harry would never be able to survive without the monarchy’s golden thread. Turns out, the monarchy’s golden thread isn’t worth much.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.