Prince of Wales: King in Waiting (2023) - full transcript

Doing a job like
this is worthwhile, valuable,

and to me, there's an
element of duty about it.

Some of my earliest
memories relate to times

that my parents spoke to me,

or even better, showed me what it meant

to have both privilege
and responsibilities.

Charles sort of set out

almost what everybody's role would be,

and he named that William and Catherine

would be the new Prince
and Princess of Wales.

I think he will be very much a King



who knows his own mind.

William's a very determined man.

I think he takes the role very seriously.

I think he believes in monarchy.

At the moment,
they are the golden couple.

The royal family is built on history

and tradition and protocol,

but actually in William and Kate,

you see a future King and Queen
who are driving it forward

and taking it on to the next step.

This goes on and on and on, doesn't it?

There's queues of people, right?

This family has service sort of,

you know, running through them.



William has got it.
His father's got it.

His grandmother's got it.

But I think he's also very much,

much more a man of the
modern age and of the people.

He will be very much more modern

than his grandmother or his father,

and I think he'll be much
more the people's King.

To me, I didn't join the forces to be,

like I said the last time before,

mollycoddled or treated any different.

Every day you come in to work,

and you don't quite know
what's gonna happen.

It's quite exciting in that
sense, it's unpredictable.

I think as a future head
of the armed forces,

it's really important that I was,

you at least get the
opportunity to be credible

and to do the job that I signed up for

and to do the best I can.

And that was the point
at which I think William

went from being a young
man to a future King.

Following the death of his dearest

and most revered grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth II,

Prince William's father, now Charles III,

ascended to the throne,

and Prince William took the
title of Prince of Wales.

His Royal Highness Prince William

is now second in line to the throne,

but he has his work cut out

following in his father's footsteps

and keeping up the tradition
of duty and hard work.

His destiny is to inherit the crown

and succeed to the throne,

but how does a prince
prepare to become King?

Crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace

throughout the evening.

Then at 10:25, their
patience was rewarded

with the formal notice of the birth.

It was signed by
Mr. George Pinker,

the Queen's gynecologist,
and other doctors

who attended the princess.

Prince William, now Prince of Wales,

firstborn son of King Charles III

and Diana, Princess of Wales,

has always been in the spotlight.

Born second in line to the throne,

he was destined for a life
of duty and of service.

The fact that Diana produced
a little boy and heir

I think just further endeared
her to the British public.

People loved her even more,

and when she came out
holding Prince William

with Prince Charles, images
that really just melted,

I think, even the most hardened
hearts around the country.

And it was a cause for great celebration.

Britain had come through
a difficult time,

and I think the royal family

were giving the country
something to look forward to.

The skies were clear this morning

as the Royal Australian Air
Force jet made its approach.

Prince and Princess
emerged showing no sign

of the long flight and
obviously well-educated

in the right sort of clothes
to wear in Central Australia.

And then the moment more
than a hundred reporters

and cameramen flew from
all over the world to see,

the public debut of
nine-month-old Prince William,

second in line to the throne.

Of course, for Prince William,

he would've been able to understand

little of what was going
on around him at the time

as his nanny carried him
carefully down the steps

of the aircraft onto a Australian soil.

Diana's decision to take
her baby, Prince William,

with her on their tour of
Australia and New Zealand in 1983

was criticized in some
corners of the media,

but it was a turning point for Diana

and the catalyst for her
to grow in popularity

with the public.

Later, to protect the young
princes, William and Harry,

from the excesses of
the press and paparazzi,

the royal family came to
an agreement with the media

that the boys would be
free from press intrusion

whilst they were being educated,

and in exchange, the family undertook

to give regular updates
to the mainstream media.

Exactly on time,

the family emerged from the house,

one prince carrying another.

Everyone agreed that Prince
William had grown a lot

in the five weeks since he arrived

in Australia at Alice Springs.

The princess, wisely
hedging her bets a little,

had told us she would not guarantee

that the 10-month-old prince would crawl.

Look, look, good.

So what did
Prince William do immediately?

Whoa!

Now let him come this way.

William had a fairly
traditional aristocratic childhood

inasmuch as he was taken
care of by nannies.

His parents were, you know,

Diana particularly was a modern parent,

but she was a modern aristocratic parent,

and she did use nannies,

and the nannies really were the people

that William spent most of his time with.

He had been a very outgoing little boy.

At his first school,
he was known as Basher,

Basher Wills or Basher
Wales, 'cause he was,

you know, quite stroppy and confident.

After his early years at Ludgrove School,

the young Prince William entered
the gates of Eton College

where he fitted in easily to
its centuries-old traditions

and where he found like-minded people.

For their eldest son's big day,

the Princess of Wales
was in the driving seat

with the Prince of Wales at her side.

Eton's most famous new boy

was with his younger
brother, Harry, in the back.

William's education was at Eton College.

Eton College is probably
the leading public school

in England, and it's very traditional.

William's mother, Diana,
Princess of Wales,

insisted that he went to Eton,

as did her father and her
younger brother, Charles.

Prince Charles acceded to this.

He went to Gordonstoun, where
he was thoroughly miserable

and cried almost every time he
had to go back to to school,

even as a teenager,
and he allowed his sons

both to go to a very elitist school.

It's very elite, it's very expensive,

it's very posh, if you will,

but it also has a degree
of freedom for the pupils.

They are encouraged to be self-confident

and to find themselves.

And when William came there
after being at Ludgrove,

the prep school, people
realized, as he had to sign in,

every pupil signs into
the book when they come,

that he was left-handed.

First time people realized
he was a southpaw.

William threw himself

enthusiastically into school life,

but if there was one area
in which he really excelled,

it would be sport, an
arena in which he continues

to devote his energies to this day,

seeming to naturally
embrace all the principles

of sportsmanship and teamwork

which make it so important in our lives.

Unfortunately, although William
enjoyed his time at Eton,

it was of course blighted by
the tragic death of his mother.

I don't know, it was so modern.

- There goes trouble.
- Charles, shut up.

Charles.

Thank you so much, thank you.

Harry, I'm so sorry, sorry.

William, William.

Thank you so much, thank you.

Oh, no.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.
- You, too.

William, we love you!

You know, how does any 15-year-old

and 12-year-old cope with that?

It was devastating for them, obviously.

On the day of the funeral,

William and Harry walked
behind the cortege.

It was a long walk,

and there were crowds sobbing and wailing

and hundred, thousands
and thousands of people

lining the route, and they
walked with their father,

their grandfather, and Charles Spencer.

She was an exceptional
and gifted human being

in good times and bad.

She never lost her
capacity to smile and laugh

nor to inspire others with
her warmth and kindness.

I admired and respected
her for her energy

and commitment to others,

and especially for her
devotion to her two boys.

William and Harry, we all
care desperately for you today.

We are all chewed up with sadness

at the loss of a woman who
wasn't even our mother.

How great your suffering
is, we cannot even imagine.

Above all, we give thanks
for the life of a woman

I'm so proud to be
able to call my sister,

the unique, the complex,
the extraordinary

and irreplaceable Diana whose beauty,

both internal and external,

will never be extinguished
from our minds.

After graduating from Eton,

like many young men of his generation,

Prince William decided on a gap year.

Now he's off to the plains of Patagonia

for a 10-week expedition.

I wanted to do something
constructive in my gap year

rather than, I mean, I could
do quite a little work,

but I thought this was a
bit more of a way of making,

trying to help people out
and meet a whole range

of other different people
from different countries

and at the same time helping people

in remote areas of Chile.

I think we're very much seeing

a royal for the new century.

Very relaxed, not stage managed,

happy to josh a bit with
his father in an informal way,

but not scared to say
exactly what he's feeling

and certainly not prepared to
dodge the difficult issues.

The clearest example of that,

his challenge to the press today

to let his mother rest in peace.

Through his early voluntary work

with Raleigh International,

the young prince set off for Chile

where he spent three months

working on various community projects,

painting, chopping wood,
and even cleaning the loos

just like everybody else.

There was no question in
any of the gap year, actually,

that he was a prince
and treated differently.

He mucked in, he slept in sleeping bags,

you know, he cooked
food around a campfire.

He did everything that everyone else did.

A few weeks later,

a young Kate Middleton also undertook

a similar voluntary role,
and on that occasion,

they just missed each other.

Prince William loves Scotland,
and it didn't take him long

to decide to continue his education

at the University
of St. Andrews.

He did well enough to get
not a place at Oxbridge,

which could've been fixed for him.

There was speculation that he would go

to Trinity College
Cambridge as his father did,

but he was sufficient
of his own man to say,

"No, I want to go to
Scotland. I like Scotland."

He chose St. Andrews University,

very ancient university
in the Kingdom of Fife,

and so by chance did Kate Middleton.

And that, of course, where they were both

first-year students, freshers,
that's where they met.

It was at St. Andrews
where that friendship,

because it was initially
a friendship, flourished.

William and Kate were at the same

halls of residence,
at St. Salvator's.

They were on the same
course in the same year.

I mean, some people say it
wasn't that just too much

of a coincidence, but it
was how things worked out.

And they spent the first
year as undergraduates

really getting to know each other.

William was not particularly
happy in his course.

They were both doing history of art,

and Kate was really great actually

at trying to keep him focused,
keep him incentivized,

and actually stop him
from leaving St. Andrews,

which was at one point
what he wanted to do.

He didn't leave.

He switched course, and they
spent the next four years

living together and falling in love.

The people of St. Andrews
are a very close-knit

sort of society, and they
welcomed William with open arms,

and they were very protective of him.

And as a result, you know, he spent life,

he spent four years there
as a pretty normal student.

I think the wonderful
thing about St. Andrews

was it was a bubble away from reality.

It was a life that Prince William

had never been able to enjoy.

Whether it was going to the local shops,

going to a local bar,
going for his morning swim,

he could get on with his life

and his relationship in private.

At all times, they were highly discreet.

They were almost never seen together.

They were, even with their friends,

they didn't allow any gossip to start.

The people speculated, but
there was nothing definite

which proved that they were an item.

And I think the pair of them
absolutely loved those years.

They look upon those
St. Andrews years

with great fondness, and they are patrons

of St. Andrews University
because they feel

such a strong connection to that place.

In his own words,

"It is time now for
the big wide world."

But today, William's
family, like any other,

well, almost, came to
say a proud farewell

to a place that has allowed
him a more normal life

than any royal in history.

That he is deeply
grateful is not in doubt,

and partly, of course,
it's been about this woman.

They've been allowed to
develop a relationship

without front-page
scrutiny, and it's helped.

Catherine Middleton.

Romance did not
stand in the way of hard work,

and Prince William
graduated alongside Kate

with a Scottish Master of Arts degree

with upper second class honors.

Of course, no graduation
would be complete

without family to proudly
celebrate academic achievement.

But there are not many
who can include the Queen

in their university graduation.

William Wales.

The British royal family

have served the armed
forces for generations.

It's a useful place,
really, for them to be,

because certainly in modern times,

because they are away
from the prying eyes

of the public and the press, the media.

It's a useful service.

You know, they get to experience danger,

and they get to be part of a team,

and it's great for leadership

and for mixing with people
from all walks of life,

which is something that
when they're growing up,

historically they didn't
really do so much.

The reason it's important

for members of the royal
family to serve in the military

is because one day as Prince of Wales,

it's felt that it's extremely important

that if you are going to
be head of the military,

that some way you would've served.

The Queen, in fact, did serve with,

during World War II,
with the Women's Corps.

Elizabeth is in the ATS, or British WAC,

and at the King's
request is being treated

just like any other trainee.

Queen Elizabeth
herself had an active role

during World War II and
was the first female member

of the royal family to serve
in a full-time military role.

She diagnosed and repaired faulty engines

serving in the ATS.

William's grandfather, Prince Philip,

served with distinction in World War II

and was awarded the Greek
War Cross of Valour.

Rising through the ranks,
the young Prince Philip

became one of the youngest
officers in the Royal Navy

to be promoted to first lieutenant.

Prince William's father
served in the Royal Air Force

and the Royal Navy.

Prince Charles stepped out

from the Fleet Air Arms headquarters

at Yeovilton in Somerset today
in perfect flying weather

for his first hour's instruction

at the controls of a
Wessex Mark 5 helicopter.

It's the start of a 3
1/2-month flying course,

at the end of which he'll be qualified,

like his father, Prince
Philip, to fly helicopters,

including those belonging
to the Queen's flight.

Qualifying as a helicopter pilot in 1974

and joining the 845 Naval Air Squadron

operating from the commando
carrier HMS Hermes.

In February, 1976, Prince
Charles was promoted to command,

and he took control of HMS
Bronington, a coastal minehunter,

for his last nine months
in the Royal Navy.

If later on I'm to be associated

with all three services,
it'd be a very good idea

to have an attachment to each one.

I think it gives one a
very useful experience,

very useful experience of
responsibility and discipline.

I think responsibility is
the most important thing,

is the actual trust that's putting you

to deal with other people and the feeling

that they can perhaps put
their trust in you as well.

Both William and Harry were keen

to follow the example of their family

and take an active role in the military.

After passing the selection process

to become an Army officer,

Prince William took
his place at Sandhurst,

the Royal Military Academy,
from which thousands

of successful Army careers
have been launched.

Sandhurst used to be filled, I think,

with rather dimwitted
sons of the aristocracy.

Today it is really a, you know,

a very serious academy.

It's a very tough course
and hugely physical.

You pass quite serious
exams, academic exams,

to get into Sandhurst, and
then once you're there,

the regime is pretty remorseless.

William got through it.

The cadets at Sandhurst

are divided into companies, or
divisions as they're called.

The senior division always has the honor

of carrying the color,

a banner personally
given by the sovereign.

And as the senior cadets
complete their training,

so the color is passed on.

The academy RSM receives
the color and carries it

to the new senior
division of the next year.

William clearly learnt

how to march in step here at Sandhurst.

By all accounts, he
was a natural soldier,

considered to be amongst
the best in his year.

The 44-week training course is grueling,

and it's reported that William
found enormous strength

during this period and made friends

who remain close and loyal to this day.

Next year sees the 60th anniversary

of the formation of the Royal
Military Academy Sandhurst,

the spiritual home of the
officer corps of the British Army,

and the high standards
which it continues to demand

of its cadets have been exemplified

by your impressive
drill and turnout today.

The academy's principle aim is to develop

the qualities of leadership,
character, and intellect

demanded of an Army officer
on first appointment.

I place that trust in
you with confidence,

and my prayers for
your success and safety

will follow you wherever you
may be called upon to serve.

Graduating with
the rank of Lieutenant Wales,

William followed his younger brother

into the Blues and Royals
as a troop commander,

which meant a further five-month training

at Bovington Camp in Dorset.

Harry had been to
Sandhurst ahead of William

because he didn't do, he
didn't go to university,

and he had joined the
Blues and Royals regiment.

William, when he
graduated from Sandhurst,

when he passed out, he also
joined the Blues and Royals.

But because of the way that the regiments

rotated in their deployments,

it was quite clear that William

was not actually going to
make it to Afghanistan.

His regiment wouldn't
go there for 18 months,

and rather than sit
around kicking his heels

doing training work in this country,

he decided to go and
look at the other forces.

Prince William
moved to the Royal Air Force,

and in 2008, he completed a 12-week

intensive flying training
course at RAF College Cranwell.

Prince William will arrive
here January 2008,

and he'll be attached
to the Royal Air Force

for four months, and during that time,

there'll be some flying training,

and he'll also then go on
to operational squadrons

to see how the operational side

of the Royal Air Force operates.

I think everybody's very excited. I know Prince
William's keen to come here and learn to fly,

and the instructors who've
been chosen to teach him

are looking forward to it as well.

This is the Grob Tutor.

It's the RAF'S elementary
flying training aircraft.

All our pilots come into this

at the first stage of their training

as soon as they finish
officer's training.

So the course mates for
finals in Wales will be doing

exactly the same training
as him at this stage.

It's fairly docile to fly.

It's something you could find
similar to at a flying club,

but it's also fully aerobatic,

so it's quite a capable aircraft,

and we can up the pace quite quickly,

which is what we do on
our training course.

This is a Tucano T Mark 1 trainer.

It's the basic fast jet trainer
for the Royal Air Force,

and Prince William is
going to be coming to us

from his Tutor flying
to expand his flying skills,

give him some more complicated
and advanced techniques,

and then progress him onto
the school phase of his course

prior to the award of wings.

It's gonna be a very exciting period.

It's a privilege to train Prince William.

With regard to how he'll be treated,

he's going to be treated the same

as all the rest of our students

and all the junior
officers that we work with.

In the Air Force, it's
known as the Squirrel,

and ours is specifically
the AS.350BB,

which is unique to the
Air Force only in pure terms

of what the aircraft has on it
in terms of equipment.

We use it for basic military training

for all Army, Navy, and Air
Force rotary students in the UK.

So the Prince will fly both
the Tutor and the Tucano

before coming to Shawbury
to fly the Squirrel.

It's a huge honor for all involved,

and we have had royal
visitors in the past,

and Cranwell especially
with its association

with Prince Charles and
his flying training.

Everyone is very much, very
much looking forward to it.

He's not just another recruit,

but we are trying to make
him fit in as much as he can,

and certainly that's what
happened with the Army.

So he'll be treated the
same as anybody else

who'll wear the same uniform,

and those associated would call him

as they would any other junior
officer in the same rank.

How's life in the RAF?

Very good, enjoying it very much.

Is it very different from the Army?

In certain ways, yeah,
otherwise it's, you know,

still the same sort of camaraderie

and everyone getting along really well.

Now, I understand you flew

your first solo flight yesterday.

I did, yeah.

How did it go?

Well, I'm still here to tell the tale,

and I haven't been billed for a plane,

so so far it looks all right.

But it was one of those experiences

where I thought it'll never come around.

And I thought, you know,
hopefully, a bit longer here,

and I'll get a little bit more practice.

And the next thing I know,
my instructor jumps out

and goes, "Go on,
get on with it."

And I was left there sort
of looking around there

and going, "Uh, what?"

So I just did it, and once
you get up in the air,

it was fine, it wasn't so bad.

His father had loved flying.

His grandfather had loved flying.

It was very much in the blood, I think.

And he and his brother, of
course, Harry loved flying.

So the two brothers became
helicopter pilots in the end.

Once again, proud parents were able

to play an active role on graduation day.

So he was presenting
William with his wings.

I mean, it must, he
must've felt hugely proud

but also a sort of
bittersweet moment for Charles

because he himself
wasn't able to carry on

with his flying career
because it was thought

too dangerous for the heir to the throne.

Flying Officer William Wales,

graduating with No.
227 and No. 97 courses.

After serving in both the Army

and the Royal Air Force,
William was then seconded

to train with the Navy,
spending three weeks

at the Britannia Royal
Navy College in Dartmouth.

So having learnt to fly an aeroplane,

he then went to explore the
Navy to get a taste of the Navy,

and he went out to the Caribbean

on a drug-policing vessel.

And during his time there,
he was part of a crew

that busted a huge, huge drugs haul

worth millions of pounds.

So he experienced quite
a lot of excitement

and probably quite a
lot of danger, actually.

William extended

his Royal Naval Short Service Commission

for as long as possible,
and it's reported

that he greatly enjoyed his
time in the senior service,

but he was called back
to the Royal Air Force

and promoted to flight lieutenant,

taking up training to
become a helicopter pilot

in the RAF Search and Rescue Service.

He was not going into a battlefield.

Nobody knew who he was
up in a helicopter,

and yet it was very real
and meaningful work.

To me, I didn't join the forces to be,

like I said the last
the last time before,

mollycoddled or treated any different.

And as far as I'm concerned, in my eyes,

if Harry can do it, then I can do it.

I don't really separate us.
There's not much difference.

And I think as a future
head of the armed forces,

it's really important that I was,

at least get the
opportunity to be credible

and to do the job that I signed up for

and to do the best I can,

and that's all I ever wanted to do.

And the search-and-rescue role is now,

you know, slightly different.

So obviously being able
to go to Afghanistan,

but it's still doing an important job,

and I hope that it's-
- Still be in the Air Force.

Yeah, I hope it's, yeah, I hope it's just

in the right direction,
exactly, for future.

The training is demanding

and includes advanced
handling, night flying,

emergency handling, and
tactical and formation flying

on the Griffin HT1 helicopter.

William Wales, Flight
Lieutenant William Wales

is posted to the
Operational Conversion Unit,

203 Squadron, Royal Air Force
Valley to fly the Sea King.

Flight Lieutenant Wales

graduated in January 2010

from the Defence Helicopter
Flying School at RAF Shawbury.

Prince William then transferred
to RAF Valley at Anglesey,

becoming the first member
of the royal family

since Henry VII to live in Wales.

For the next eight months,

he trained on the Sea King helicopter

and was assigned to C Flight
No. 22 Squadron as a co-pilot.

Well, before I started search and rescue,

I had a little brief instruction to it,

and it was immediate to me.

I spent three hours flying with the guys,

and it was totally
apparent to me straightaway

how important the job is and
the skills the guys employ,

the flying aspects, the
the general airmanship

you need to have around you

and all the wits you need
to survive the weather

and whatever sort of
situation you're thrown into.

It definitely is advanced
flying, and it's rewarding.

So put the two together,
and it's a fantastic job.

It's rewarding because every
day you come in to work,

and you don't quite know
what's gonna happen.

It's quite exciting in that
sense, it's unpredictable,

but at the same time it's
great that you get to go out

and actually save
someone's life, hopefully,

or at least make a difference to someone.

You know, when you know
that they're in trouble,

you do everything you
can to try and get there.

And the guys demonstrate that

every single day they go out.

And with the team
environment there is in the,

it's very much sort of
a big family in the sky,

and the guys do a fantastic job.

We've got 11 pilots here.

William's a fairly new
co-pilot, but as such,

he flights the aircraft
as much as anyone else,

and he'll be called upon
quite regularly during jobs

to take control of the aircraft

while the captain's doing something else.

Regarding a hierarchy,
we're all pretty much,

we're all of equal rank
just with different

varying levels of experience.

So, and we all get on very well together,

have a joke and a laugh
when we're on the ground

and get serious when we're flying.

It's absolutely fantastic.

I mean, when William first
arrived on the squadron,

it was a massive shock to all of us,

fairly dumbfounded, really,

that somebody was such prestige

was coming onto our squadron,

but very quickly settled
into just one of the guys,

one of us, part of the family certainly,

and day to day, you
don't even really notice.

I suppose in 10, 15 years' time

when we look back on this occasion,

it'll seemed very, very
special and memorable.

But he's a great guy to work with.

When you're flying along at
night in Snowdonia mountains

and you've got 40-knot winds,

the clouds down to about 200 feet

and you're trying to get
through to find someone

who's either broken the
leg or is lost on the hill,

it gets quite interesting.

You have to use all four of
you, put brain power together,

and your skill and basically hope that,

you know, you can actually
get there and help.

There was a key moment in his life.

It was in 2011, there had been a huge,

devastating earthquake in New Zealand,

and William said to
his private secretary,

"Is anyone from the royal family
going down to New Zealand?

Because if they're not,
I would like to go,

and, you know, represent the Queen

and express our sorrow
at what's happened."

And his private secretary says,

"You can't possibly do this.

You know, you haven't got time.

How are you gonna work out?

You know, you've got
these number of shifts

you've got to do with
search and rescue."

He said, "It's all right,
I've sorted all of that.

Just find out whether whether I can go,

whether anyone else is going."

So he did, and he went,

and he stood side by side with people

who'd lost loved ones, homes, businesses.

You know, the scenes there
were absolutely devastating.

My grandmother once said

that "Grief is the
price we pay for love."

Here today, we love, and we grieve.

And that was the point
at which I think William

went from being a young
man to a future King.

Family life beckoned,

and during his time at RAF
Valley, it was announced

that Prince William and Kate
Middleton were to marry.

Flying himself into the land

his family have worked for generations,

Ian Craig's plane touches down in Lewa,

the romantic hideaway
Prince William chose

to make his proposal.

Produce a ring?

- Yeah.
- There and then?

I did, yep, I'd been
carrying it around with me

in my rucksack for about
three weeks before that,

and I literally would not let it go.

Everywhere I went, I
was keeping ahold of it,

'cause I knew this
thing, if it disappeared,

I'd be in a lot of trouble.

And yeah, 'cause I'd planned it.

It sort of, it went fine.

As you know, you hear
a lot of horror stories

about proposing, and
things go horribly wrong.

It went really, really well.

And yeah, I was very
pleased she said yes.

I think it was very telling

that he chose to give Kate Middleton

his mother's engagement ring.

And he said, "I want my
mother to be part of this,

to be present."

Not in a sinister way, of course not,

not the ghost at the feast,

but there to enjoy the celebrations

and the fun of it all,
of a great occasion.

And I think people are very
well aware of the background,

and they certainly have
a great deal of sympathy,

and they're almost
willing them to be happy

because he particularly has
had difficulties in his life.

On the 29th of April 2011,

Prince William and Kate Middleton married

in Westminster Abbey.

The nation took Kate to their hearts,

and she has been by his side ever since.

This was very much a wedding,
their personal wedding.

Okay, it was very,
very public, obviously.

It was televised, and
the world was watching,

but it was essentially
their private wedding,

and that's how they kind of treated it.

And it was very touching,

and Kate looked absolutely stunning.

It was a cause for big celebration.

Crowds gathered from far
away to take part in the day.

After all, Kate would one
day become Queen Consort.

Like many young newlyweds
in the services,

duty called, and Flight Lieutenant Wales

was deployed to the Falkland Islands,

becoming part of a four-man crew

providing cover for aviation assets

and assisting those in need of rescue.

Search-and-rescue pilots
here provide 24-hour coverage

with a Sea King helicopter.

They're on duty for a 24-hour period

and covering any eventuality.

As you've seen, the distances
here are quite large.

The roads are not fantastic,

and if we need to get somebody,

military or civilian, to hospital,

quite often search-and-rescue helicopter

is the best way of doing it.

The deployment was seen

as particularly controversial
as it came close

to the 30th anniversary of the
start of the Falklands War.

The Argentinians felt that this

was a slap in the face to them

for Prince William to be
marching about in uniform,

humiliating the Argentinians

on what they still believe
is their territory.

Balancing home and family life

with a career can be difficult.

Kate gave birth of their first child,

Prince George, in July 2013.

The media camped out in excitement

to catch a glimpse of the future King.

Kate and William greeted the press

and introduced Prince
George to the world.

After this, Flight
Lieutenant William Wales

took the decision to
retire from active service

in the Royal Air Force in September 2013.

William, I think, that time,

those years as a search-and-rescue pilot,

he really felt that he
did achieve something.

It was a real job. There were
no concessions for who he was.

He wasn't wrapped up in cotton wool.

But the time came where the
tour of duty came to an end,

and I think he left probably
with quite a heavy heart,

but he'd had a very,
very good time there.

And I think, you know,
he'd absolutely achieved

what he set out to achieve.

During his time at RAF Valley,

Prince William undertook 156
search-and-rescue missions

where 149 people were rescued.

Whilst in the Royal Air Force,

he completed over 1,300 flying hours.

It's not often he gets to meet the people

whose lives he saved.

Sharon West got the
opportunity to meet the prince

and to personally thank
him for saving her life.

- Hello.
- I just wanted to say

thank you for rescuing me last year.

- Was it you?
- Yeah.

Was it from the beach
in Anglesey, was it?

- Yeah, I think I'm-
- Yeah,

it was you and your sister.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

How are you? Are you all right?

I'm okay.

I'm glad you made a full recovery.

A lot of time, you never
see who, you never meet up-

- I know.
- With anyone after

you've done it, so it's-
- That's why we made a point

of coming here today, 'cause
we felt it'd be so good-

- All right.
- To say thanks to you

and the guys.
- No, no, no,

the guys. - The whole team.
- It's the whole team, it's the whole crew, it's crew thing.

Retirement from active service

did not deter the future King
from looking to the skies

to fulfill his career ambitions

and to continue the spirit
of service to others.

In 2014, it was announced
that William would accept

full-time employment as a pilot

with the East Anglian Air Ambulance

based at Cambridge Airport.

Kate and William had another
exciting announcement.

They would be having their second child.

In May 2015, Kate gave
birth to Princess Charlotte,

who would be fourth in line
toś the succession of the throne.

He made the decision,
and it was quite a surprise

when he announced he wanted
to get back into the cockpit,

because remember, he'd left the RAF.

We all thought his flying days
were behind him

and actually we'd see
the Duke of Cambridge

embark on a life of official public duty.

Well, that hasn't happened.

He's gone back into the cockpit,

albeit in a different capacity.

He's flying now with the
air ambulance service.

It's a charity, but
it's still a full-time

and demanding job.

It also means he can have a career

aside from the royal family,
and it's in a perfect arena,

of course, because he's going out
and helping to save lives.

So it ticks all of those
boxes equally, I think,

'cause he can base
himself further up north

and away from Kensington Palace,

which he considers a
bit of a goldfish bowl.

He can enjoy the idyllic life,

helping to bring up the children

at least in the next few years

while they're still very young.

He took up his
full-time role in July 2015,

that any salary paid to him
would be donated to charity.

Well, first of all, I'm
just fantastically excited

to be here today, the first day.

It's been a long time coming.

It's been many exams and
training to get here,

and I'm hugely excited to be joining

a very professional
bunch of guys and girls

doing a sort of unique, complex
job with the air ambulance.

And it's sort of a follow-on

from where I was with the
military with search and rescue,

so many of the same sorts of skills

and in essence the similar type of job.

It just follows on from
search and rescue to here.

So it was a natural progression,

but equally doing a job like
this is worthwhile, valuable,

and to me, there's an
element of duty about it.

I'm really quite keen to be involved

with the guys and the
girls doing a complex,

you know, professional job.

For the next two years,

Prince William worked on the front line

as an emergency worker,

sometimes witnessing intense trauma

and with a real hands-on approach

to helping his medically
qualified colleagues.

There is little doubt
that this would've had

a significant impact on his
mental health and personal life.

I think nothing ever
prepares you that well

for what you're gonna see
and some of the incidences.

But having done search and rescue before,

we saw a lot of that already.

And when you're working
with a team, you know,

you help each other out,
and you talk about it,

and you get through it that way,

and so it's very important
to talk about it.

William said to a friend recently

that his priorities were family
and flying, in that order.

And I think the emphasis on
those two Fs, family and flying,

is exactly where it is for both of them.

He's friendly, he's
funny, he's, you know,

always sort of joking and bantering,

particularly with other
men and with colleagues.

And I think that was how
he managed to be accepted

so readily by colleagues,
both in the armed forces

and in the air ambulance.

He just, and in all the charities
that he works for as well,

they really love him.

Prince William's interest

in air ambulance services
remains to this day,

and after supporting an anniversary

for London's Air
Ambulance Charity in 2019,

he became the official
patron in March 2020.

And you're just like in
the moment in one minute.

It was time to move closer to home,

and in July 2017, Prince
William left his position

as an air ambulance pilot to take up

full-time role duties on
behalf of Queen Elizabeth.

Prince William's made
a fantastic contribution

to the team.

It's been an absolute pleasure
to have him on board.

He's a hard-working member of the team,

always keen to get his
hands dirty and help out

whether it is just cleaning the aircraft

or actually at the scene helping out

with patients that are critically ill.

He's a really valuable
member of the team.

I think that the over,
the big memory I'll have

will be the day he arrived, really.

The very first day you arrive,

you're supposed to call
in for just 10 minutes,

and he ended up staying
for about four hours,

which was a good sign
that he was comfortable

amongst the team.

And then his first day at work, really,

we went a bit long before we got a job,

and we were straight into a
mission, a lifesaving mission.

He's been a fantastic member of the team,

and that's really what
we were looking for

was somebody who would really fit in,

work hard, and really
contribute to the operation

of East Anglian Air Ambulance,
and he's done that in spades.

He's been a terrific member of the team.

He made a space for himself very quickly

as a member of a highly
professional team,

and he earned the respect
of everybody around him.

Take those off.

They haven't been cleaned in two years.

He really will be missed,
'cause he's a terrific pilot,

and he's a great guy to have around.

He's been really good at
the scene, and that's what,

that's the feedback I get from
all of our clinical teams.

And yeah, he's just been a great person

to have as part of East
Anglian Air Ambulance.

Just under a year later, in April 2018,

Kate gave birth to their
third child, Prince Louis,

who would be fifth in line of succession.

Family has remained an important
part of life for William,

and the country has
been pleased to see more

of the young princes, George and Louis,

as well as Princess
Charlotte at royal events.

Obviously during the day,

people don't really wanna see the lights.

Prince William continues in his duties

as a monarch in training at the same time

as dedicating himself to the
vital service of the Crown.

He has served a vital
role on numerous occasions

supporting Her Majesty the Queen,

but also focusing on
areas of working life,

which obviously mean a great deal to him.

He is currently patron or
president of many organizations,

remaining particularly
interested in conservation,

young people, the armed forces,

emergency responders, and mental health.

I think everything that William has done

in his life has colored what he,

the charities that
he's chosen to support.

You know, the conservation
comes from his time in Africa.

His interest in the welfare
of ex-military personnel

comes from his time in the military.

His experience as an air ambulance pilot,

the people he saw there, the injuries,

I think his interest in mental welfare

is also tied up in all of that.

His interest in the environment,

following in the footsteps of his father,

King Charles, and his
grandfather, Prince Philip,

remains an incredibly
important focus for William.

Queen Elizabeth spoke of her pride

for her grandchild at the COP26 summit.

I'm delighted to welcome you all

to the 26th United Nations
Climate Change Conference.

This is a duty I'm
especially happy to discharge

as the impact of the
environment on human progress

was a subject close to the
heart of my dear late husband,

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

It is a source of great pride to me

that the leading role my husband played

in encouraging people to
protect our fragile planet

lives on through the
work of our eldest son,

Charles, and his eldest son, William.

I could not be more proud of them.

He spent a lot of time
in his youth in Africa,

and I think it's certainly
the role of his father,

Prince Charles, in conservation

has had a big impact upon him.

It's something he's deeply,
deeply passionate about.

He's somebody I think that
cares deeply about issues,

but the homeless is one that
he's actively involved with.

He's also very keen in trying to help

young people that are on drugs

and are trying to get
through that problem,

and he does lend a lot
of support to that,

and in fact, it's my understanding,

he's not only doing stuff
where he helps himself.

He actually does put his
money where his mouth is,

and through his foundation,
he has contributed

quite a lot of money to
assisting people in this regard.

This family has service
sort of, you know,

running through them.

William has got it, his father's got it,

his grandmother's got it.

I think his role model is the Queen,

not actually his parents.

I think he felt that his
parents blurred the distinction

between the public and the private.

The Queen has managed to keep her privacy

and her personal life
much more to herself,

and I think William will
try and do the same.

The prince has made many official visits

around the UK, meeting
a broad range of people

who make a difference to their community.

With Kate at his side,

he has also carried out overseas tours

on behalf of the Queen to
the Commonwealth and beyond.

William and Kate, to
me, are about the future.

I don't like to look back
and compare her to Diana

because she is her own woman.

And William and Kate, I
think, have their own idea

of what they want to do.

And I think, you know,
you see these two people

moving forward and taking
the monarchy forward.

I say in my book that modernization

is a very hard word to use

in the context of the royal family

because the royal family
is built on history

and tradition and protocol.

But actually, in William and Kate,

you see a future King and Queen
who are driving it forward

and taking it on to the next step.

On the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year,

William and Kate toured the
Caribbean to mark the occasion.

Their journey was met with
somewhat mixed reviews.

Prince William made an important speech

in which he observed the need for change.

Next year, I know
you're all looking forward

to celebrating 50 years of independence,

your golden anniversary,

and with Jamaica celebrating
60 years of independence

this year and Belize celebrating 40 years

of independence last
year, I want to say this.

We support with pride

and respect your decisions
about your future.

Relationships evolve.
Friendship endures.

William's beloved grandma,

the Queen, sadly died in September 2022.

The nation went into mourning,
and grief was felt worldwide.

But there is no pause in the
continuity of the monarchy.

King Charles III was proclaimed,

and William became first
in the line of succession.

In the new King's first
televised broadcast,

he announced William and Catherine

would become the new Prince
and Princess of Wales.

As my heir, William, now
assumes the Scottish titles,

which have meant so much to me,

he succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall

and takes on the responsibilities
for the Duchy of Cornwall,

which I have undertaken
for more than five decades.

Today, I am proud to create him

Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru.

Although his title has changed,

he still offers the same
dedication to duty and service.

It is likely William will
have to take on more events

and engagements in his new role.

Well, I think that William
is already fulfilling

his role as Prince of Wales.

I mean, he's lived in Wales,

he lived in Anglesey, he's worked there.

He has, I think, he's done so much

in such a short time, and he
has such respect from people

that I don't think people will
compare him to his father.

I think his father's position
of Prince of Wales was unique,

and William's position of Prince of Wales

is very much William
and Catherine together.

I think he will be very much a King

who knows his own mind.

William's a very determined man.

I think he's mindful of history

and won't do anything extraordinary,

but I think he's also very much,

much more a man of the
modern age and of the people

than any previous monarchs.

Prince William has clearly demonstrated

his ability to win hearts
and minds wherever he goes

with a genuine warmth and
care for people he meets.

In the years to come, as he
serves as Prince of Wales,

he will no doubt continue
to follow his duty

and support his father, King Charles III.

In the fullness of time when he ascends

to the throne as King,
he will take inspiration

from those who have served before him

whilst modernizing the
monarchy in his own unique way.

For now, William remains Prince
of Wales, King in waiting.