The British press is treating Prince William’s appearance on The Reluctant Traveler like it’s a tell-all Oprah interview. William’s episode – where he gives a personal tour of Windsor Castle to Eugene Levy – hasn’t even dropped yet, and they’re trying to manufacture buzz for what sounds like an exceptionally boring interview. Here are the big reveals: William’s hardest year was 2024; William’s biggest priority is sleeping; William misses his grandmother; and, obviously, William loves football.
The Prince of Wales has said that being at Windsor Castle makes him miss his grandmother, the late Queen. While giving a personalised tour of the royal residence to the actor and comedian Eugene Levy, Prince William reminisced about Elizabeth II, who spent most of her time at the castle in Berkshire before moving there permanently in her final years.
Speaking to Levy, the creator of the sitcom Schitt’s Creek, for his TV programme The Reluctant Traveler, Prince William said: “I do miss my grandmother, and my grandfather. It’s been quite a bit of change, so… you think about them not being here any more, and particularly being in Windsor – for me, Windsor is her. She loved it here, she spent most of her time here. Showing you around today is very much a case of trying to make sure I’m doing it in the way she’d want you to see it.”
I’m not going to criticize him for missing his grandparents, but it does feel like he’s (desperately) trying to tie himself to QEII’s legacy in particular. But sure… QEII loved Windsor Castle. She felt much more at home there than Buckingham Palace. One might even call it her “forever home.” As for football…
Prince William revealed why Hollywood star Tom Hanks is an unlikely Aston Villa fan as he talked football fandom with Eugene Levy ahead of a new documentary featuring a personal interview between the pair. The Prince of Wales praised the side but risked offending Birmingham residents as he joked the city ‘isn’t that sunshiney’ – and revealed Hanks picked the side because of its name. Speaking in a candid interview with the American Pie and Schitt’s Creek star, William didn’t hesitate to plug his favourite team when the conversation turned to football.
‘I’m a football fan,’ he told Levy. When asked which team he backs, the Prince of Wales said: ‘I support Aston Villa, you heard of them? Tom Hanks is a big fan.’
‘Oh, maybe that’s where I’ve heard it,’ Levy responded.
In the clip released ahead of the show, The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy, Prince William continued: ‘You might have heard of Aston Villa from there. And I love the story that Tom tells about why he suddenly supported Aston Villa because when he was looking for a team to support, he saw the words Aston Villa, and thought that sounded quite like a sunshine nice villa place to go. When actually, if he turns up to Birmingham, it’s not that sunshiney.’
Did they give William a mood stabilizer or a sedative before this interview? Jeez. Eugene Levy was probably bored to tears.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images, AppleTV+
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- Prince William, Prince of Wales celebrate 1-0 of Harry KANE, England 9 in the group stage match ENGLAND – DENMARK 1-1 of the UEFA European Championships 2024 on Jun 20, 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.,Image: 883554360, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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- Prince William, Prince of Wales celebrate 1-0 of Harry KANE, England 9 in the group stage match ENGLAND – DENMARK 1-1 of the UEFA European Championships 2024 on Jun 20, 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.,Image: 883554394, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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- William, Prinz von Wales, Prince of Wales with son Prince George celebrate 1-1, next to Felipe VI. König von Spanien with daughter Princess Sofia, in the final match SPAIN – ENGLAND 2-1 of the UEFA European Championships 2024 on Jul 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.,Image: 889806983, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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- William, Prinz von Wales, Prince of Wales with son Prince George celebrate 1-1, next to Felipe VI. König von Spanien with daughter Princess Sofia, in the final match SPAIN – ENGLAND 2-1 of the UEFA European Championships 2024 on Jul 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.,Image: 889807337, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and The Princess Royal thank local volunteers and key workers in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 8 DECEMBER 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- WIndsor, UNITED KINGDOM – The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and The Princess Royal thank local volunteers and key workers in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle. Pictured: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, Queen, Queen Eli BACKGRID USA 8 DECEMBER 2020 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the National Federation of Women’s Institute (WI) in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to mark the third anniversary Queen Elizabeth II’s death Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: Sunningdale, United Kingdom When: 08 Sep 2025 Credit: Alastair Grant/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
His mother died in 1997. Was not that a “hard year” for him. Odd that he does not mention Diana.
Hard to believe that beautiful, vibrant Diana was this giant loser’s mother.
So true–you’d think being made to walk behind your mother’s coffin would make for a pretty terrible year.
Plus, he took all of 2024 off, even though Kate’s illness doesn’t seem to be life-threatening, and Charles’ doctors must have told him pretty early in the game that they could control his cancer for a few years at least. So was 2024 so terrible because of all their PR gaffes?
it almost seems like he wants sympathy. where were the tabs when the sussexes needed sympathy?
how long will they keep mentioning will and kate’s hard year. like no one else has hard years.
W is definitely begging for sympathy.
I’m sorry but William looks absolutely insane in these photos. Not even the other fans in the picture are reacting this way. I minagine this is similar to what he looks like when he throws another one of his tantrums or rage fits. And yes the excerpts from this interview are so boring I don’t even remember what I read im sure it was worse for Mr Eugene to have to listen to in real life.
I feel sorry for Eugene doing that interview.
He looks like a hooligan in a suit in those pictures. Even the other people cheering do not look violent like he does.
My favorite comment from my husband:
“William has all the personality of wallpaper paste.”
Where’s the lie?
I saw the clip where he talked about missing his grandmother and I really think, to paraphrase Jennifer Aniston, there’s a sensitivity chip missing there or something. Like the way he says “I do miss my grandmother” – well of course you miss her. Mine died 10 years ago and I still miss her. But he almost sounded a little surprised or something that he still missed this person who had been a central figure in his life, even if they weren’t super close.
This just sounds so boring. A tour around Windsor Castle* and then a talk with William about Aston Villa?
*This should be interesting but I imagine with William its like watching paint dry.
This is why video is so important. It gives so much more about a situation than a single picture or some words on a page(screen?). The exchange about his grandmother, when written, seems benign enough, but if you watch a video of it, you get so much more about the person.
I feel this is why they purposely show only either small snippets of video, or video where you can’t hear William or Kate talking, because it will show how unintelligent and out of touch they are. Kate and William ramble nonsense a lot of the times.
From the article I rather watch paint dry than this show.. Peggy just has no intellectual depth whatsoever, he’s touring a historic castle why not highlight the history and antique treasures Windsor Castle holds. Peggy doesn’t seem to be able to talk about much unless it’s football.
Yes, this could have been 10 year Will here or even George: “This castle reminds me of my grandparents and I sure do love Ashton Villa football.”
Does W think Canadian comic actors or us the viewers know about Tom Hanks favorite soccer team? Will is sooo awkward and daft.
I don’t have time to watch a putz try to make himself interesting to somebody anybody who will give him the time of day. He can sit down and do this but he can’t do his job.
The Reluctant Grown Up.
Clive and Jason want him to seem human (misses granny) and relatable (loves footie!) Also Harry comes over well on US TV and everybody loves cuddly Eugene hence the invitation to meet Will and do some TV. They really want to sell Will as warm and approachable not the stuffy , angry, shouty and isolationist that ahem, recent events seem to indicate.
He’s aware that tom hanks loves Aston villa. The same hanks that did that bit with Harry on the Colbert show. It’s wild how they have denigrated Meghan for being too Hollywood and yet clearly they love tv and film stars.
Oh please, if Hollywood would have him he’d lick the streets all day long. “I like the same team Tom Hanks likes!!!11!!1!!”
The Tom Hanks name drop by Huevo really giving ‘pick me girl’ vibes
This was also the episode where Huevo and Eugene do a spot of day drinking. Surprise! They still have to use booze to lure him out to talk to the peasantry…
For all the talk I hear about how much William loves football and is so passionate about it, all I know about his knowledge about it is that he supports Aston Villa.
The Reluctant Traveller and The Reluctant Working Royal: FK misses granny being monarch because that made him feel safe and secure: years away from any responsibility to stand up and be counted himself.
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Spot on, Lady Digby.
William seems to be a very dull person. How come the British press is not outraged that William is giving interviews to a foreign TV show and not British ones?
when I moved to London in 2007 from New York, my immediate colleague, with whom I shared a desk, gave me an indelible kernel of wisdom: “Rugby is a game for thugs played by gentlemen; Football is a game for gentlemen, played by thugs.” ….it’s a legendary and accurate observation. William is either raging or apathetic. That’s not a healthy spectrum for a human personality. Get this man a job. Idleness is sapping his will to live, no pun intended.
Too bad he can’t show this enthusiasm for his wife.
The Reluctant Traveler really could be the name of his biography.
Comment of the day!!!!! ❤️😆
William is so incredibly BORING!! And he knows it. The courtiers know it. The rota rats know it.
What a tiresome, useless king he’ll be.
And he knows it.
A boring interview with a boring man. Will give it a miss.