Prince William Reveals Why He Wasn’t ‘Very Close’ With Queen Elizabeth

Prince William has lifted the lid on the reason he wasn’t “very close” to Queen Elizabeth while growing up within the royal family, explaining that their relationship had to grow from “formal” to “warm.”

The Prince of Wales also spoke about taking the throne one day and said he doesn’t feel “too overwhelmed” by it, despite the pressure and scandals that have arisen over the years.

Prince William has seemingly learnt a thing or two from the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and hopes to avoid the “mistakes” they made with his wife, Kate Middleton.

Prince William has hinted at why he initially didn’t share a close bond with Queen Elizabeth, revealing that things only got better as the late monarch grew older.

The future king sat down for a chat with Eugene Levy during his recent “Reluctant Traveler” interview, where he revealed that he generally had a “good relationship” with Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip.

“My grandparents were of a different generation,” he said during the October 3rd episode of the show. “I think when we were younger, it was harder to have that very close relationship because it was quite formal.”

“But as they got older and I got older, it got warmer and warmer,” he said, per Page Six.

William went further to note that their relationship dynamics were at their “best” when Elizabeth and Phillip were in their 80s and the late couple had “sort of relaxed a little bit.”

Queen Elizabeth became the longest-reigning monarch, ruling from 1952 until her death at the age of 96 in September 2022. William’s relationship with her seemed to improve over time as she became an influential figure to him.

In Channel 5’s documentary, “Prince William: A Life in Pictures,” royal commentator Charlotte Griffiths said that Elizabeth had to step in after William expressed doubts about Harry and Meghan’s 2018 marriage, and initially declined to attend a key pre-wedding event.

“The fact is, William had been doubtful about the relationship and how fast it had moved, and had expressed that doubt, and it had caused much friction between the brothers,” Griffiths explained, per The Mirror.

She added, “To the point that the night before the wedding, William actually declined to go to the usher’s dinner. In the end, the Queen intervened, and he agreed to go.”

After Queen Elizabeth’s death, King Charles took the throne, making his son, William, the next in line.

In his interview with Levy, the father-of-three spoke about becoming the ruling monarch one day and said he doesn’t feel “too overwhelmed” about it, despite wondering in his younger years, “Wow, are we actually doing this? Is this sort of happening?”

The future king noted, “With time and age, I think you feel a bit more settled in that side of things. You go, ‘Actually, I can do that.’ And even if a few curve balls come in, that doesn’t necessarily overwhelm me.”

William has learnt a great lesson from his parents’ broken marriage and would do all he can to avoid it in his marriage with Kate Middleton.

During his interview on the “Reluctant Traveler,” he reflected on the mistakes King Charles and the late Princess Diana made, saying he hopes not to repeat the same.

“I think it’s really important that that atmosphere is created at home. You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love,” William said. “That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood.”

However, he noted that the warm environment only “lasted a short period of time,” as his parents divorced when he was only 8 years old.

Reports suggested at the time that Charles was having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he later married in 2005.

“You take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parent,” he said. “I think we all try and do that.”

William, who shares kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, with the Princess of Wales, Kate, understands that discord within the family can adversely affect his children.

“I just want to do what’s best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you’re small really affects you when you’re older,” he said.