Prince William’s first speech since King Charles’ cancer diagnosis included jokes-but his delivery struck a somber tone.
The Prince of Wales smiled and thanked the public for their good wishes as he walked past the press pack on his way to a dinner in support of the London Air Ambulance on Wednesday night.
However, by the time he started talking, the weight on his shoulders was clear as he delivered his jokes without his usual breezy tone and some on social media noted he sounded hoarse.
One clip went viral after it was liked more than 46k times and viewed more than 1.3 million times when posted with the on-screen caption: “A hoarse Prince William speaks out publicly about the Princess of Wales and his father for the first time and makes jokes about Tom Cruise.”
William said in his speech: “I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all.
“It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus. So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all.”
He also included a joke for Tom Cruise, present at the event, who is long-standing friend: “I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my-our-fellow pilot, Tom Cruise.
“Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight. And Tom, if you wouldn’t mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission Impossible, it would be appreciated.
“We have all seen on our screens that-how can I put it-you seem to have a different take on ‘normal wear and tear’ to the rest of us. It’s not the kind that buffs out.”
Beyond Charles’ cancer treatment, William has been at home helping the Princess of Wales recover from abdominal surgery, on January 16, while also juggling looking after their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Eric Schiffer, chair of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek: “It’s upsetting when a family member has this kind of serious diagnosis and it likely weighs on him.
“He’ll want to be there for his father and he will be mindful of wanting to also step up while his dad is going to be occupied with a lot of his energy on fighting the cancer.
“So you’ll see William want to show the public in a way that is respectful to his dad that he’s able to shoulder some of the load.”
Following the charity dinner on Wednesday night, raising money for two new helicopters for the London Air Ambulance fleet, William will likely not be seen for a while.
The school half-term holiday is approaching in Britain and he is expected to put family before duty.
Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
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This story was originally published February 8, 2024, 3:33 AM.
source: star-telegram
