In less than a year, the British royal family looks completely different than it once did. Though Prince Charles was hoping to overhaul the royal family when he took on the role of the Crowned King, things happened much more swiftly than he expected, which has also put Prince William in a particular position.
In November 2019, Prince Charles’ younger brother, Prince Andrew was effectively booted from royal life. After a lifetime of service to the crown while evading his playboy prince reputation, the Duke of York’s ties to late sex offender Jeffry Epstein was too horrifying to look past.
Then in January 2020, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry announced their resignation from the royal family, pushing Prince William and his family into the forefront of the royal life. Though the Duke of Cambridge is trying to maintain a relatable image, there was once a time when he didn’t have to be so formal.
RELATED: Why Fans Think Prince William and Prince Harry’s Feud Is A Result of Princess Diana’s Death
Prince William used to be a lot more carefree
After attending college in Scotland at St. Andrew’s University, Prince William was able to keep his relationship with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge under wraps while having some semblance of anonymity and privacy for the first time in his life.
Though he’s always known his destiny, the prince sought an opportunity to do something else for a time. He was even able to do more carefree things when he was younger that would be frowned up now.
For example, for Prince William’s 26th birthday he and Kate spent the night dancing at Club Boujis’ tent at the Beaufort Polo Club near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. In the photos, Kate can be seen laughing and twirling in her future husband’s arms.
RELATED: Prince William Is Beginning to Question If the ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ Policy Is Still Relevant
Prince William is looking revamp the royal family’s image
Though he is no longer as laid back as he once was, Prince William is trying to help his father, Prince Charles take a step back away from the stuffy image that has consumed the royal family for generations.
ITV Royal Editor Camilla Tominey believes that after observing the warmth of Meghan and Prince Harry, the remaining senior royals family members desperately want to be “relatable” and “touchable” instead of “cut off and cold.” Tominey explained,
It is interesting isn’t it, because we are used to PDAs with Harry and Meghan. Have they learnt something from this? This idea of relatable, touchable monarchy that is more like us than ‘them’ and less cut off and cold. We saw this a bit with the Mary Berry Christmas special with William and Kate making soufflés and looking very much at home I think they’re trying to project themselves as this family unit. I think the Cambridges want to project themselves and their branding as the future so people can have faith in this institution, which, let’s face it, has been rocked.
Prince William dancing to Nelly Furtado is epic
It looks like Prince William can tap into his younger self when it comes to being more relatable. A throwback video of the prince from 2007 has resurfaced on Twitter and it’s definitely giving royal fans major vibes.
In the video, Prince William can be seen dancing to Nelly Furtado’s performance at the Princess Diana memorial concert. Lily Allen, Diddy, Pharrell Williams, The Feeling, Joss Stone, Kanye West, and Natasha Bedingfield also performed that same year. Prince Willam opened the concert saying, “This event is about all that our mother loved in life. Her music, her dancing, her charities, and her family and friends.”
Though Prince William and Kate had briefly broken up at the time, the prince’s cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie can be seen living their best lives in the audience.