William: I write to ministers, just like Dad
Duke of Cambridge reveals he writes to ministers on charity matters... and says he regrets not being able to protect his mother
The Duke of Cambridge has disclosed that he would like to be able to become more involved in politics, and admitted that he writes his own letters to ministers, just like his father. The Duke said it could be “frustrating at times” to have to watch the political world from afar, given his deep interest in the issues. In his most personal interview to date, with GQ, the father of two tells how he has followed in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Wales, writing to ministers to encourage them to make contact with charities close to his heart.
THE Duke of Cambridge has spoken of his frustration that he cannot get more involved in politics, disclosing that he writes his own letters to ministers just like his father.
The Duke said it can be “frustrating at times” to watch the political world from afar, conceding he knows he must not “attack government policy” despite his deep interest in the issues.
In his most personal and candid interview to date, the father of two tells how he has followed in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Wales, writing to ministers to encourage them to make contact with charities and causes close to his heart.
He also speaks poignantly about his late mother, and his regrets that he could not do more to protect her in her “possibly a bit naive” dealings with the media.
The Duke discloses how his bereavement has affected his work as an ambulance pilot, how his background had left him with an acute sense of selfpreservation, and his hopes that the public will understand his need to let his hair down occasionally.
The interview, with GQ magazine, was conducted as part of the Royal family’s Heads Together campaign, detailing the Duke’s plans to raise further awareness about mental health.
It comes in a pivotal year for the Duke and his family, as they move back to London and he relinquishes his air ambulance role to resume duties aiding the Queen as a full-time Royal.
Speaking to Alastair Campbell, the GQ columnist and mental health campaigner, the Duke said of the future of the Royal family: “You are only as good as your last gig and it is really important you look forward, plan, have a vision.”
Politics
That plan has this year included a dramatic rise in personal disclosures, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry each sharing details of their lives to further their mental health cause.
Asked whether he found it frustrating not being able to “bang the drum” for more practical action on mental health from the Government, the Duke admitted: “It can be frustrating at times.
“I watch the political world, I am interested in it, at times I feel there are things going on I could really help with, but you have to understand where you sit and what the limits are; and with regards to what we do in our charity work, I like to think you can do just as much good but in a different direction.”
He could not “attack government policy”, he added, but worked on the principle of gathering people together after realising: “They tend not to refuse an invitation, and we can thrash things out.”
Letters
With his father, the Prince of Wales, famous for his so-called “black spider” memos to ministers, the Duke disclosed he too had been known to write to those in positions of power. “I have written to ministers but purely to point them towards people I think they should see,” the Duke said.
“So a charity might ask me if I can help with someone and I can help get them access to the people in Government. There are issues I am interested in and I am happy to connect people to ministers.”
Asked whether he was “perhaps not as robust as your father”, the Duke replied: “My father has always come at this from a depth knowledge and a desire to help.
“I would love to know what the public really think, whether they feel shocked or pleased he gets involved.”
Diana, Princess of Wales
of In one of the interview’s most revealing insights, the Duke speaks frankly about the legacy of his mother, and how walking behind her coffin for her funeral at the age of 15 is “one of the hardest things I have ever done”.
But, he said, he felt unable to allow himself to be in “floods of tears”, admitting he had felt uncomfortable amid the “massive outpouring of emotion” from the public.
He said: “The thing is, you can’t bring all your baggage everywhere you go. You have to project the strength of the United Kingdom – that sounds ridiculous, but we have to do that.
“You can’t just be carrying baggage and throwing it out there and putting it on display everywhere you go.”
The protective Prince
Discussing the media furore around Diana, Princess of Wales, he said he has explored the theory that she cultivated her own relationship with the press and had used them to her advantage.
“I know some games and shenanigans were played, but she was isolated, she was lonely, things within her own life got very difficult and she found it very hard to get her side of the story across,” he said. “I think she was possibly a bit naive and ended up playing into the hands of some very bad people.”
Describing his mother as “a young woman with a high profile position, very vulnerable, desperate to protect herself and her children”, he said he and Prince Harry could have stepped in to help her when they got older.
“I feel very sad and I still feel very angry that we were not old enough to be able to do more to protect her, not wise enough to step in and do something that could have made things better for her,” he said.
“I hold a lot of people to account that they did not do what they should have done, out of human decency.”
His work
Despite staying strong in public, the loss of his mother had had an impact on his working life, the Duke said.
In his role as an air ambulance pilot, he described how any call-out involving the loss of a child now has “a big effect on me”. “It takes me straight back to my emotions back when my mother died,” he said. “The more relatable pain is, the harder it is to shake off.”
Mental health legacy
After a major public campaign for Heads Together the Duke said he would now like to see mental health first aiders in schools: “Teachers are under such pressure, they face so many challenges every day. They cannot be expected to be mental health counsellors as well.” He pointed to a generational shift between his parents’ generation and his own, in which the power of the stiff upper lip had faded.
The future of the monarchy
The monarchy, the Duke said, is now in a “good place” thanks to the Queen’s “remarkable job” and “unwavering” duty.
When Campbell referred to the Queen’s belief in mystique, and lifelong aversion to interviews, he added: “I seem to have sold the pass on that one”.
The full interview is published in GQ magazine, out now.
‘I hold a lot of people to account that they did not do what they should have done, out of human decency’