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\n If the royal\u2019s appearance on The Reluctant Traveler isn\u2019t carefully orchestrated image rehabilitation, then what is it, exactly?
\n Photo: Apple TV+\n <\/p>\n
Apple TV+ is not generally thought of as the people\u2019s princess of streaming television. (That\u2019s<\/a> obviously<\/a> Peacock<\/a>.) Just in case there was ever any doubt, though, the new season of The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy doubles down on the Apple TV+ identity as a destination for comfortable institutionalism with an entire episode devoted to an interview with Prince William. A producer hands Levy an envelope with an invitation handwritten by William, and Levy is apparently completely surprised that this was in fact the entire conceit of the episode. Somehow, he still arrives for the conversation the next day with a laundry list of reassuring questions designed to put William\u2019s totally normal dorky dad-guy mode on full display.<\/p>\n Sure, maybe this wasn\u2019t a carefully orchestrated public relations salvo with the single-minded aim of conveying that William is a human being who is ready to gently transition the monarchy into a new era of modernity without doing anything to insult traditionalists! But if that were the goal, would any of this interview need to change? Let\u2019s consider.<\/p>\n William looks unimaginably awkward, claims he\u2019s late because his scooter got \u201ca puncture,\u201d and then hops off and informs Levy, \u201cI was a big fan of all your earlier films, Eugene. The American Pies.\u201d Levy finds this flattering and has no follow-up questions about humor, sexual sensibility, or the difference between American and British pies. He is very into the practicality of the scooter, though.<\/p>\n \u201cA prince on a scooter! He\u2019s certainly not afraid to \u2026 roll \u2026 with the times.\u201d Do not ask him anything about dates. Do not ask him anything about Henry VIII. You can ask him to repeat an apparently famous line overheard during a public tour of Windsor Castle, when a tourist mentioned it was such a shame the castle had to be built so close to Heathrow Airport. \u201cI know my history\u2019s bad, but that\u2019s another level,\u201d William says. Levy laughs in disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you miss your grandmother?\u201d Levy asks William. Yes he does. They had a very warm relationship. She wore scarves instead of helmets when riding horses. (\u201cThat\u2019s an image we were all very familiar with,\u201d Levy says.) She was deeply distraught when Windsor Castle burned in 1992. It was acceptable and fun to make her laugh, but only under certain circumstances and about particular subjects that William declines to specify. \u201cMy grandfather was very amusing. Sometimes not deliberately. Sometimes by accident,\u201d William says. \u201cHappy times.\u201d Levy\u2019s voice-over jumps in: \u201cAs a grandfather, it\u2019s the laughs I want my grandchildren to remember me by.\u201d<\/p>\n Did Queen Elizabeth do a lot of riding? She posed for many oil paintings, right? Did she like posing for oil paintings? Did William come to Windsor Castle often? Is William a football fan? Does William ever get overwhelmed by the sheer history of the place? (No, actually!)<\/p>\n All of it \u2014 again, apparently done with no warning or prep time for Levy \u2014 comes off with bizarre credulity. It\u2019s not the performative friendliness of when celebrities interview other celebrities, and it\u2019s not the adversarial feeling of an interview with a professional journalist either. It\u2019s like two guys who\u2019ve been thrust together by their wives and promised that they have soo much in common, you\u2019ll really like each other. Just ask him about family! You both like family, right?<\/p>\n \u201cI think if you\u2019re too intrinsically attached to the history, you can\u2019t possibly have any flexibility,\u201d William tells Levy. \u201cI think it\u2019s very important that tradition stays. I think tradition is a huge part of all of this. But there\u2019s also points where you look at tradition and say, is that still fit for purpose today?\u201d<\/p>\n William says that although history does not overwhelm him, sometimes \u201cthings to do with family\u201d can be overwhelming because it is \u201cmore personal, more about feeling, more about \u2026 upsetting the rhythm, if you like.\u201d Levy nods and the voice-over chimes in: \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting to chat to William like any other guy, but what I\u2019m realizing is that despite all the grandeur, this castle\u2019s actually a home.\u201d Oh, okay! Moving on! No further questions.<\/p>\n Orla innocent.<\/p>\n At a casual pub in Windsor, Levy orders a Guinness and drinks none of it, while William orders a sweet cider and drinks one quarter of it. Levy gets into questions about everyone\u2019s health over the last year. \u201c2024 was the hardest year I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d William tells him. Everything now is \u201cprogressing in the right way,\u201d and Catherine is in remission, but it\u2019s been difficult to protect his family amid media scrutiny. \u201cIf you\u2019re not careful you can intrude so much into someone\u2019s life that you can unpick everything,\u201d William says, \u201cand growing up I saw that with my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n Levy\u2019s ostensibly there because exploring royal life was on his bucket list. William\u2019s allegedly there because he is being a good host and giving Levy a personal tour. At no point does this ever resemble the fun reality travel show it\u2019s meant to be. William moves through several highly sanitized attempts at vulnerable transparency without ever saying much, and although he\u2019s pretty good at pretending, it\u2019s never not odd that he\u2019s just hanging out and telling Eugene Levy about his wife\u2019s experience with cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s childhood home has a story to tell, but this one more than most.\u201d
\u201cAs a dad myself, I can relate to the feeling of just trying to do right by your kids.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/59f4c2058fab6de33713e3d61153dbc529-RTT2-.rhorizontal.w700.jpg\")
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