For the Prince of Wales it was his biggest diplomatic test yet. Not only the incoming state visit from President Trump, for which the stakes could not have been higher, but a fortnight in which he also had to contend with two other challenges: his brother, the Duke of Sussex, and his uncle, the Duke of York.
When the latter sidled up to him after the family funeral of the Duchess of Kent on Tuesday, it made William profoundly uncomfortable. It is understood that the prince was acutely aware that he was standing next to the grieving immediate family of the duchess and felt strongly that the solemn moment should have been a time of reflection for them.
As the royal family gathered to see the coffin being placed into the royal hearse, Prince Andrew chose to lean over and mutter a comment to William. Clearly finding amusement in what he had said, Andrew laughed, while William appeared to distance himself.
The Prince and Princess of Wales with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2022
KIRSTY O’CONNOR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
One source who knows the prince described the awkward encounter, video of which was widely shared on social media, as an example of William “delivering a masterclass in trying to get away from someone”.
The problem of Andrew’s attendance at such events is a matter not only for the King but also something William will have to consider when he becomes monarch. How many public appearances of the disgraced duke can the royal family sustain?
Andrew stepped down from royal duties in disgrace nearly six years ago over his friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and was banned from public royal occasions.
He is, however, usually still permitted to join private family gatherings, for while he no longer works for “the Firm”, he remains part of the family.
That rule was blurred at Christmas when, in light of Andrew’s friendship with an alleged Chinese spy banned from entering the UK, the duke was encouraged to stay away from a family lunch at Buckingham Palace.
For the funeral this week, some mourners felt that the duke might have done well to enter via a more discreet entrance, rather than making a fuss of his presence. When he stepped out of a car at Westminster Cathedral in central London, some members of the public gasped to see him.
Inside, a guest said that there was a similar response when his jolly demeanour created “a distinct chill in the air”.
“If he truly wanted to pay homage to her at her funeral he should have had the common sense to drop in quietly,” one mourner said.
President Trump met William in Paris last year
AARON CHOWN/GETTY IMAGES
Within a matter of days, William was supporting another family — one whose grief appeared to have been almost overlooked. In Cardiff last week, William met the family of Jac Lewis, whose death by suicide in 2019 at the age of 27 prompted the establishment of the Jac Lewis Foundation.
Ashley Thomas, 38, who found help at one of the charity’s drop-in centres after struggling to see a GP later became a volunteer. He told the prince: “If it wasn’t for the Jac Lewis Foundation, I don’t know where I’d be.”
On the same day, however, Prince Harry’s first meeting with the King in 19 months distracted the attention of the media. Sources close to William say he has now steeled himself for the long game, preferring to carry on with the day job while ignoring a brother he has no desire to see.
A Kensington Palace source said of William: “What we’re seeing is the man flourishing. He earned his stripes as a global statesman last year and you saw him this week wear those stripes with pride and ease.”
At the state banquet on Wednesday, William appeared to be reaping the rewards from this new perspective, despite some clumsy comments from the president in the past.
William’s meetings with Trump, sources said, were “warm and friendly”, which is an improvement from the unwelcome, libidinous comments the president has made in the past about the prince’s wife and late mother.
Kate and William on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the King’s coronation day
GETTY IMAGES
In 2012, when a French celebrity magazine published intrusive, topless photographs of Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, Trump posted on X, then Twitter: “Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!”
Months after Princess Diana’s death, Trump gave a radio interview to Howard Stern in which he said he could have slept with Diana. Stern asked him: “Why do people think it’s egotistical of you to say you could’ve gotten with Lady Di? You could’ve gotten her, right?” Trump replied: “I think I could have.”
In another interview in 2000, he told Stern he would have slept with Diana “without even hesitation”, adding: “She had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin, the whole thing … she was crazy, but these are minor details.”
Times change, however. When Trump and William met in Paris last year after a service to mark the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, it was the president who deferred to the prince.
• How Prince William will change the monarchy, by those close to him
A travel delay for the prince caused by bad weather meant that the planned meeting was rearranged at short notice, and Trump had to bend to William’s schedule. In the end, what was supposed to be a short meeting lasted for more than 45 minutes.
While no meeting was planned for the recent state visit, the Trumps did find time to see the Waleses for a private meeting. Rather than being a snatched two minutes in the corridor at Windsor Castle, it was said to be a warm and friendly meeting, which had emerged organically from a mutual desire to get together.
Later that evening, Trump was on his feet telling a global audience how much he admired the prince and princess. Kate, he said, was “so radiant, so healthy, so beautiful”.
Congratulating the King on raising “a remarkable son”, Trump turned to William to add: “We’ve gotten to know you and I think you’re going to have an unbelievable success in future.”
That success as King may be helped by William coming up with a plan on how to deal with Andrew and Harry in future.
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