Prince William Wants Future King Prince George to Follow in Princess Diana's Footsteps in One Touching Way
The Prince of Wales heard how one community is especially "proud" of his late mother.
Princess Diana won hearts around the world with her compassion and dedication to charity, and one of her best traits was the ability to relate to people on every level. During an investiture at Windsor Castle this week, Prince William was able to hear from one woman who was touched by a profound gesture the late princess made in 1990—and the story got his wheels turning on an idea for 11-year-old Prince George.
The Prince of Wales met teacher Wendy Daunt from the Royal School for the Deaf when he invested her as a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Windsor Castle. Using an interpreter, Daunt was able to share memories of how Princess Diana touched deaf people around the world.
"I wanted to tell him how proud the deaf community were of his mother, Princess Diana," Daunt told the BBC, recalling how the late princess attended the 1990 British Deaf Association conference.
"She came on stage to receive a book, and she signed in BSL and the deaf people were so amazed and in awe of this," the teacher continued. "A royal person had actually accepted our language. The respect for BSL that she gave, we've kept that all these years and will never forget that."
"Deaf culture is we always have a hug so I quickly said, without thinking, 'Can I have a hug?'" Daunt told the BBC of her meeting with Prince William.
Princess Diana is seen using sign language at a 1990 conference.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined their parents at an 80th anniversary VE Day parade on May 5.
Daunt continued that she made a suggestion for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to "learn to sign." While she noted that Prince William's "face said, 'I'm not sure,'" he did say, "maybe Prince George would like to."
The Prince of Wales went on to suggest that Daunt give the 11-year-old prince lessons on British Sign Language (BSL). "Prince William did say that I could teach Prince George BSL," she said. "But I think it would be better for a younger person, a boy of his own age perhaps to teach him football signs. I would like Prince George to be friends with deaf children."
Learning BSL would fall in line with one of Princess Kate's goals for her children. During a 2018 encounter with a fan (via Hello!), the princess said her Italian was "so bad" and added, "I have to make sure my children are better than me, that's my aim." For Prince George, it's especially important for him to know multiple languages for his eventual role as King, when he'll regularly interact with global leaders.
At the moment, Prince George's school teaches French and Latin, along with Greek as an option for students in year seven and eight (George will enter year eight this fall). The Wales children are also said to know a good bit of Spanish thanks to their Spanish nanny, Maria Borrallo.
