Prince William’s Live Radio Interview Was Given a Hilarious Codename — and Even the Palace Approved
'Heart Breakfast' producer Matt Manley revealed hilarious backstories about Prince William's appearance on their show.
It's common knowledge that if word gets out about a senior royal's appearance beforehand, the cat's out of the bag, killing the suspense and reflecting poorly on management. To avoid exactly that, Heart Radio went to great lengths to keep Prince William's interview on The Breakfast Show in Cornwall under wraps. According to producer Matt Manley, the team gave William's interview the codename 'Project Susan' with a hilarious reason behind it, which even amused Kensington Palace.
Before the Prince of Wales sat down with hosts Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden in the Isles of Scilly, staff ensured that not a soul knew about his appearance earlier than intended. In a LinkedIn post, Manley wrote, "We codenamed this 'Project Susan' (Susan Boyle -> royal). We told Kensington Palace the code name, and they loved it." The name was inspired by singer Susan Boyle, whom the radio station is a big fan of, hilariously using her rhyming surname to cover for the royal. He also shared that the Aston Villa top they were supposed to gift the Prince originally intended to say 'Wills,' however, the shop had run out of the letter 'I,' meaning they had to go with getting a heart printed instead.
Additionally, Manley said, "We bumped into his highness the night before the broadcast and were all too scared to say hello. I thought we were all going to cheer in the group photo, not smile, so I look like an idiot in it. I work with the most talented people in radio." His behind-the-scenes fun facts certainly gave fans a new opinion on the interview, revealing how royals navigate public life privately. William's fun interview saw him speak fondly about the Isles of Scilly, his family life, and Princess Kate's brave resilience during her cancer battle.
Another behind-the-scenes moment that showed William's approachable side came when hosts Holden and Theakston shared that he had asked them to behave freely in his presence. As reported by OK!, ahead of the interview, they were joined in the studio by etiquette expert William Hanson, and asked him how they should behave around the Prince. Theakston asked Hanson whether William should be addressed as 'His Royal Highness,' to which the etiquette expert replied, "That would be correct and then 'Sir' after that." In response, Holden claimed that they had been told otherwise, saying, "But then we've been steered away from Sir; he [William] doesn't want to be called Sir."
