New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Long reads
21 June 2023

The making of Prince William

He lost his mother at 15, survived ‘Wills Mania’, and clashed with his brother. Can he modernise the monarchy?

By Tanya Gold

This article was originally published on 1 June 2022. It has been republished as the Prince of Wales celebrates his 41st birthday on 21 June.

In Abergavenny, Wales, 31 years to the day since he performed his first public engagement in Cardiff, I find Prince William. It is St David’s Day, and he is with his wife, Catherine. In 1991, he came to Wales with his parents, a yellow daffodil in his buttonhole. Diana wore a bizarre hat that looked like a felt spaceship. Did she yearn for space travel? William wore grey flannel trousers and a blue blazer with brass buttons, like the major in Fawlty Towers but small.

Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
An old Rioja, a simple Claret,and a Burgundy far too nice to put in risotto
Antimicrobial Resistance: Why urgent action is needed
The role and purpose of social housing continues to evolve