Prince William Gets Labeled a ‘Celebrity Royal’ Like Harry and Meghan After Latest Media Stint
A former royal aide thinks Prince William is starting to follow Harry and Meghan's celebrity-style playbook after a podcast appearence.
Prince William has time and again shown that the monarchy is capable of evolving, and his latest appearance has only added to that image. However, one former royal aide thinks that he is adopting a ‘celebrity-royal’ persona and even drawing comparisons with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The Prince of Wales recently joined Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, on their New Heights podcast. They dropped the episode just hours before the football star’s wedding to Taylor Swift. His quick and witty responses managed to impress royal fans, but many also wondered if he was following the path of Harry and Markle. In fact, Grant Harrold, who worked with the royal family for seven years, shared his opinion on the matter as well.
Harrold told CheatSheet, “This is similar to celebs going on chat shows for a general catch-up. William hasn’t associated it with any charity; there is no real motive to it. This is different from anything the royals have done before. There is no point to it.” He added that Queen Elizabeth always had a clear purpose behind her public appearances, but he felt William's podcast chat was more about having fun and sharing a few laughs. In his view, that marks a shift from the royals being driven by duty to adopting a more celebrity-style approach.
“I describe Harry and Meghan as ‘celebrity royals,’ and this is very much what William and Kate are also starting to do. This really goes to show that their approach is vastly different to anything we’ve seen before, and the transition is in full swing,” said the former aide. He explained that the monarchy may be turning into a blend of royalty and celebrity. According to him, the Royal Family has already lost much of its mystery, and William seems keen to make it feel less traditional by embracing more red carpets and the world of showbiz.
Harrold also warned that the shift may not sit well with royal traditionalists. He said many would argue that the late Queen or King Charles would never have approached royal duties this way, but added that William and the younger generation of royals understand the influence of podcasts and social media and are using those platforms to their advantage.
William's approach to royal life is also quite different from Charles'. The Royalist author Tom Sykes previously wrote that the King has long believed that being seen by the public is a key part of the job. But William seems more focused on making a bigger impact than simply racking up engagements. His work on initiatives like Earthshot, Homewards, and mental health advocacy reflects that more results-driven approach.
