Prince William is positioning himself as ‘the People’s Prince’ and wants to be seen as a ‘relatable royal like Princess Diana‘, a royal expert has claimed.
The Prince of Wales, 42, sent royal fans wild on Friday when he was spotted ‘dad dancing’ along to Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off at the Eras Tour at Wembley.
The royal’s appearance at the sold-out show came just one day after he put on an animated display at England’s Euro match against Denmark in Frankfurt.
Speaking to FEMAIL, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said William is ‘brilliant’ at combining the ‘formal and informal’ aspects of his role – just like his late mother.
The expert said: ‘The monarchy tends to be associated with formal events because of its traditions and its place in our unwritten constitution.
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Pictured: Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte pose for a selfie with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce before her first London show on Friday night
‘Yet it is pivotal that royals avoid an image which is too aloof and formal. Diana managed, brilliantly, to carve her own niche with her amazing charitable work and, despite personal unhappiness, she became iconic.
‘People felt they could relate to her and, in an unprecedented way, the nation showed this when she died.’
Highlighting how the Prince of Wales appears to be following in his mother’s footsteps, Richard continued: ‘William has clearly shown that he can combine the formal and informal brilliantly.
‘He can both stand in for his father at a D-Day commemoration and visit British troops on the border with Ukraine and also pose for a selfie with two of his children taken by the iconic singer Taylor Swift at Wembley as well as “dad-dancing” to her catchy lyrics during her concert at Wembley Stadium.’
Commenting on the backstage photo with Taylor and his children, the expert said this move will ‘rejuvenate his image’ among younger royal fans and labelled William the ‘people’s prince’.
What’s more, the expert also stressed how William’s love of football also makes him ‘more relatable’.
Richard said: ‘As President of the FA William, sometimes taking George, lends a supportive presence. Recent official photographs of him have been wonderfully relaxed too.’
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Pictured: Prince William put on an animated display at England’s Euro match against Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday night
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According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, Prince William is following in his mother Princess Diana’s footsteps and becoming the ‘people’s prince’. Pictured: the late royal in June 1997
Royal Swiftie! Prince William dances to Shake It Off at Wembley
Stressing how these more ‘informal’ public appearances will help William in the long-run, the expert added: If people feel you are a more relatable royal, it is easier to get more serious messages across, as Diana, in her charitable campaigns, clearly showed.’
The late Princess of Wales was famously dubbed ‘the people’s princess’ by former Prime Minister Tony Blair when he delivered a speech paying tribute to the royal outside 10 Downing Street on the day of her tragic death.
During her lifetime, Princess Diana raised awareness of the AIDS epidemic and fighting homelessness was another cause close to her heart. Showcasing her creative side, Diana also delighted Royal Opera House attendants in 1985 when she took to the stage to dance along to Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.
Over the years, Kate Middleton has been called the ‘children’s princess’ by royal fans thanks to her warm way of interacting with youngsters and her ‘Early Years’ project, which aims to give generations of children the best start in life.
After footage emerged of William’s exuberant dancing at the Taylor Swift show, royal fans claimed the selfies with Taylor were ‘throwing shade’ at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan had reportedly attended a Taylor Swift concert in the same LA arena the previous month, though no selfies with Swift have emerged.
What’s more, Taylor is also reported to have ‘snubbed a handwritten invite from Meghan Markle’ to appear on her Spotify podcast.
The footage of William dancing appeared very different to Harry’s demeanour when he and his wife Meghan Markle attended Beyonce’s performance at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last September.
While the Duchess of Sussex appeared to be enjoying the show, Harry appeared dejected and often looking at his phone rather than the stage.
