William now has more of the public gaze upon him than ever before following his brother Prince Harry’s shock announcement in January that he would be stepping down as a senior royal.
As the second-in-line to the throne after his father Prince Charles, William has had the great responsibility of knowing he would one day reign his entire life. He has often sought out normality as a result, and has regularly drawn up walls between his private life and the public.
In the BBC Radio 4’s 2011 profile of the royal journalist Chris Bowlby pointed out how William’s early interviews provided “a sense of an adult trying to establish how normal and independent he could really be”.
The podcast included a clip of William, where he confessed: “I really do want to be in control of my own life.
“And if I don’t agree with what someone’s saying or someone’s pushing on me then I won’t do it.
“I’m always open for people saying that I’m royal, because most of the time I am, but I hate to lose control.”
In the BBC Radio 4’s 2011 profile of the royal journalist Chris Bowlby pointed out how William’s early interviews provided “a sense of an adult trying to establish how normal and independent he could really be”.
The podcast included a clip of William, where he confessed: “I really do want to be in control of my own life.
“And if I don’t agree with what someone’s saying or someone’s pushing on me then I won’t do it.
“I’m always open for people saying that I’m royal, because most of the time I am, but I hate to lose control.”
“I want to bring my children up to be good people, with the idea of service and duty to others being very important.
“If I can’t give my time to my children too, then I worry about their future.”
He said when the Queen decides she wants to step away from some of her duties he would be “the first” to put himself forward to take on greater responsibilities, but for the time being, he had the time and space to explore his own way of helping the community through the East Anglian Air Ambulance service.
The Duke of Cambridge added: “If you’re not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at a very early age and I think you’ve got to develop into the duty role.
“It’s something that I take very seriously, but with my family and with my role of Air Ambulance for instance, I’ve got my fingers in many pies at the moment.”
However, in the BBC Radio 4’s programme Mr Bowlby pointed out how, as a royal, he has had limited control over the direction his life takes.
For example, when he joined the military after university, he was not able to fight on the front line because it was considered too dangerous for an heir to the throne.
He will also have little choice but to accept the role of the Prince of Wales when his father becomes King.
Yet, the royal has found minor ways to manage his private life though over the last few years.
His marriage to Kate Middleton in 2011 was significant because she was not from aristocracy, but a steady girlfriend who came from a middle class background – which Mr Bowlby suggested could have played a part in William’s attraction to her.
Additionally, William is trying to ensure his children have a normal upbringing for as long as possible – even though his eldest, Prince George, is fourth in line to the throne.
The Duke of Cambridge told Mr Witchell: “Well, as far as we are concerned, within our family unit we are a normal family.
“I love my children the same way any father does, and I hope George loves me the same way any son does to his father.
“So we are very normal in that sense. There will be a time and a place to bring George up and help him understand how he fits in the world but right now, it’s just a case of keeping a secure stable environment around him and showing him as much love as I can as a father.”
