Prince William hasn’t been “very close” to Queen Elizabeth for decades, but their relationship has gone from “formal” to “warm”.
The Prince of Wales explained to Eugene Levy in a recent interview with The Reluctant Traveler that he has a “good relationship” overall with Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip.
“My grandparents were from a different generation,” the 43-year-old future king said on the Oct. 3 episode of the AppleTV+ show.
“When we were younger, it was a very formal relationship, so I think it was more difficult to have that close of a relationship,” William continued.
“But as they grew up and I grew up, it just got warmer and warmer.”
He admitted that Elizabeth and Philip’s dynamic was at its “best” when they were in their 80s and “a little more relaxed”.
Philip passed away in April 2021, two months shy of his 100th birthday.
At the time, Prince William paid a moving tribute to 99-year-old Philip, calling him an “extraordinary person”.
“I am fortunate not only to have his example guide me, but to have had his presence throughout my own adult life, through both the good times and the most difficult of times,” he writes.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth died in September of the following year at the age of 96.
When Charles III took over the throne, William was a “reluctant traveler” who spoke of one day taking on the role himself.
The Crown Prince claimed that when he was younger he wondered, “Wow, are we really doing this? Is this what’s happening?”, but that he doesn’t feel “too overwhelmed” by the thought of becoming monarch.
“I think as time goes on and you get older, you kind of settle into that side of things a little bit, and you go, ‘Actually, I can do that,'” William said. And even if some curveballs come in, it doesn’t necessarily overwhelm me. ”
Elsewhere in the interview, Prince William spoke about his wife, Kate Middleton, and how he hopes to avoid the marital “mistakes” that Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana made during their time together.
Prince William and Prince Middleton, 43, married in April 2011 and have since started a family, welcoming Prince George (12), Princess Charlotte (10) and Prince Louis (7).
