Want to know the one thing that really pushes Prince William‘s buttons?
It’s the suggestion, ‘Well, we’ve always done it this way’.
That’s not to say the future king is racing to turn his back on 1,000 years of pomp, pageantry and history when he accedes to the throne.
As one source tells me: ‘He very much believes in tradition and the magic of the monarchy.’
But there’s no doubt that he is aching to afford some serious change.
And he certainly won’t be afraid to question why things are done in the way they are – and whether they are still relevant to the institution today.
From the opening scenes of his starring role in Eugene Levy’s The Reluctant Traveller – racing up the iconic Long Walk to Windsor Castle and into its ancient quadrangle on his electric scooter – it is clear that the Prince of Wales is a keen to show his hand as a royal moderniser.
Even his choice of programme is an eye-opener: a streamer travelogue (on Apple TV+) with an actor probably best known for starring in one of Hollywood’s most infamously filthy films, American Pie (reader, look it up!).
The Reluctant Traveller sees Canadian star Eugene Levy come to England where he receives a personal invitation to a guided tour of Windsor Castle by the Prince of Wales
The conversation that unfolds while they are walking and talking – even stopping for a pint in the pub – is revelatory
Indeed, William eye-poppingly admits his teen self was something of a fan.
But the programme’s gentle, conversational format works well. And while Levy isn’t a journalist asking the questions we would all dearly love to know the answers to (the only mention of Harry comes from William when he talks about the media pressures they were subjected to as boys), neither does the interviewer shy away from difficult subjects, including the Princess of Wales’ illness and what he feels about Prince George becoming King.
William comes across at times as really very vulnerable, possibly the most human we have ever seen him on camera (I was kindly given an exclusive preview of the entire show earlier this week).
He looks decidedly gaunt, it has to be said: a sign, I think, of the strain he has been under over the last year and a half supporting his wife, both practically and emotionally, and protecting their children.
His voice appears to crack at one point as he talks of how difficult this time has been.
This has, of course, been gravely complicated by his father’s cancer diagnosis.
While William says in the programme that the King is clearly a man who can take of himself, it’s obvious he also worries hugely about him.
And his father’s illness has meant he has had to live with the fear – God forbid – that should Charles’ health take a turn for the worse, his own carefully constructed family unit will change irrevocably.
This hasn’t been helped by the repeated sniping he receives from California. It’s something William studiously ignores, but has not helped his general sense of wellbeing.
I think viewers will see him as authentic and down-to-earth as you are ever to get a member of the Royal Family to be.
However it’s also clear that William is firmly in charge of his own destiny, with a clear and confident vision for the future – one that is likely to look markedly different than anything we have seen before.
When Levy suggests that the monarchy will be ‘shifting in a slightly different direction’, William doesn’t shirk the question and replies firmly: ‘I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good. And I embrace that… I don’t fear it.
‘That’s the bit that excites me… the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen. ‘
And that’s the bit that will get everyone talking.
The heir doesn’t flesh out what he means, and nor is anyone around him, although my sources stress that ‘all the things like garden parties and Trooping the Colour will very much still be part of the picture’.
Suggestions he won’t have a coronation are strongly denied, although I think it’s safe to say it will be pared down from even his father’s more streamlined version.
‘I think when people say he doesn’t want a coronation it’s more of a statement of wishes than intent,’ one observer says.
‘When he thinks about change, it’s very much in the guise of questioning how things are done, much like he’s done with the Duchy of Cornwall since taking it over,’ they say.
‘If the answer is, “But we’ve always done it like that”, his answer will inevitably be, “But why?”‘
Of course there are those within royal circles who are very much hoping the prince won’t be tempted to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
While he clearly does not feel entirely comfortable with all the plumes and the ermine, it’s still what makes the British monarchy so special.
It’s why people turn out on The Mall, still, in their tens of thousands, and spend millions each year visiting royal residences such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor itself.
Our Prince of Wales will make a fine king, of that I have no doubt.
But there’s no doubt that the reign of William V will look markedly different from anything that has come before.
■ The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy Season 3 premieres on Apple TV+ today.