Prince William said he’d consider TV interview when he becomes king, claims Alastair Campbell

Queen never gives interviews – but second in line to throne could break with tradition

Natasha Preskey
Friday 02 April 2021 11:34 EDT
Comments
Prince William is second in line to the throne after his father, the Prince of Wales
Prince William is second in line to the throne after his father, the Prince of Wales (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Prince William may break from the Queen’s tradition of never giving interviews if he ascends to the throne, Alastair Campbell has claimed.

The monarch has never done an interview, and the palace offers a limited number of pre-prepared statements to the press.

Other members of the family have given TV interviews, including Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and, most recently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Tony Blair’s former spokesperson, Alastair Campbell, claims the Duke of Cambridge once hinted he would be open to giving televised interviews as a future king.

Speaking on Mail+’s video series Palace Confidential, Campbell said: "I was at a dinner once where Prince William was the guest and there was a Q&A.

Read more:

“I asked the question whether, when he became king, and possibly when his dad became king, they would continue the tradition of the monarch never giving interviews.

"He said he thought that ship had sailed, which I thought was quite interesting."

Prince William is second in line to the throne after his father, the Prince of Wales.

His brother Prince Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne after William’s three children, gave a tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey last month, alongside his wife Meghan Markle.

In the TV special, the couple were open about their rift with the royal family.

The duchess revealed that she had experienced suicidal thoughts and claimed she had been denied help from the palace. Meghan also said there had been “concerns and conversations” about how dark their son Archie’s skin would be.

Harry explained how the couple were living off Princess Diana’s inheritance, and revealed that his relationship with his brother William and his father Charles had been strained since the couple stepped back from royal duties.

In response, the palace said that the issues raised in the interview would be addressed “privately” but claimed recollections of the events described “may vary”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in