Prince William Warns Prince George Could Suffer as King if Royals "Regress" to "Practices" He and Harry Endured

Prince William revealed some of the goals for his kingship in the latest episode of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Friday, October 3. In the Apple TV+ show, the Prince of Wales, 43, opened up about how he's a fan of "change," although he stopped short of mentioning any specific plans for his future on the throne. But when he was asked about what being King meant for Prince George, William became introspective about his own childhood with brother Prince Harry.

"It’s an interesting question, and it’s a big question, that one," William said to Levy, reflecting on what he hopes for his eldest son. Adding "there’s lots of things to think about with that," the Prince of Wales said that the way he will eventually shape the monarchy will become important for George, who turned 12 in July.

"Obviously, I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better," the Prince of Wales said. "That is caveated with, I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry and I had to grow up with—and I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation."

The Prince of Wales didn't elaborate on what those "practices" were, but he did touch on the media intrusion that surrounded his childhood during the episode. "If you’re not careful, you can intrude so much into someone’s life that actually you start unpicking everything," William shared. "And growing up, I saw that with my parents, the media were so insatiable back then—it’s hard to think of it now, but they were much more insatiable."

Speaking about his own family and the press, he said, "I take a very strong line about where I think that line is, and those who overstep it, I’ll fight against. But equally, I understand, in my role, there is interest; you have to work with the media. So, you have to have a grown-up sort of situation with it as well."

In recent months, sources close to Prince William have described how he plans to modernize the monarchy. The Prince of Wales told Levy that it was important for him to honor "tradition" while moving with the times.

"I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good," he said. "And I embrace that and I enjoy that change—I don’t fear it. That’s the bit that excites me, is the idea of being able to bring some change."