Prince William’s childhood was spent in the glare of the public eye, with the royal admitting he ‘had enough of it’ – a stance which has shaped his adamancy that his own children will enjoy a private life

Prince William made a touching plea for privacy at the tender age of nine, revealed Royal photographer Arthur Edwards.

Recounting the experience in the Channel 5 doc ‘Prince George: How to Make a Monarch’, Edwards shared a moment from a Swiss ski trip photoshoot: “I remember once when we were in Switzerland on a skiing trip and they would do a photo call and I remember William saying to me, ‘Please Arthur, no more pictures, no more pictures’

Reflecting on the young prince’s request, Edwards said, “He was about nine or 10. He was very sad, he’s had enough of it and when I think back to that, I think ‘My God, how he suffered’, and he was determined that wasn’t going to happen to his children.”

The discussion of Prince William’s formative years comes as Princess Diana’s former flame, James Hewitt, appeared on Good Morning Britain to weigh in on the reported feud between William and his brother Prince Harry. Aged 66, Hewitt suggested that Diana would be heartbroken by the divide and would have fiercely sought to reconcile her boys, who have drifted apart since Harry’s emigration to the USA in 2020.

Diana, Princess of Wales with Prince William and Prince Harry during a skiing holiday in Austria ( 
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(Image: Getty))

Appearing with presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley, Hewitt conveyed his perspective on the Royal family’s inner workings: “I think any mother would be worried and concerned about such a rift, as you put it, and she’d do her best to try and get them together.”

The chat quickly turned to the topic of future monarchs, with eyes on Prince George and his capacity to rule one day. Katie Nicholl of Vanity Fair shared insights with the Express. about the sibling dynamic, highlighting Princess Charlotte as a potential pillar of strength for her brother.

“Charles and Anne were incredibly close and you do see a closeness between Charlotte and George. Rather than Charlotte being a threat to George, she will be possibly his greatest asset

Princess Charlotte will be a keen source of support for Prince George, say experts ( 
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PA)
Delving into how George and Charlotte may interact, experts suggest their different sexes will help forge a solid alliance. Psychotherapist Lucy Beresford weighed in on Royal sibling bonds, questioning: “If your eldest sibling is the same gender as you, how are you going to compete?” Beresford dug into the issue of rivalry amongst siblings, proposing that different genders could ease the strain: “That sense of the firstborn is going to get all of the love and I am going to get left with nothing.”

She concluded by considering the reduced contention in mixed-gender sibling relationships: “If you’re a different gender, somehow you haven’t got quite the same tension that you have with same-sex siblings.”