Prince William delighted royal fans last weekend when he showed up in a burger van to deliver eco-friendly pasties to hungry customers – but it’s not the first time he’s made a surprise appearance somewhere he wouldn’t be expected.
The 41-year-old Prince of Wales has become known for his under-the-radar charitable and royal work over the past few years — and his cheeky sense of humor often shows in surprise guest appearances.
From a groundbreaking stint selling The Big Issue last summer, in which he disguised himself with a cap and sold issues of the magazine to passersby, to an impromptu FaceTime conversation with a group of schoolchildren during a hospital visit, William carves his own style as he prepares to become king one day, and according to one royal expert, it’s all down to a natural “personal charm.”
Richard Fitzwilliams told FEMAIL that William enjoys the freedom to engage in more impromptu visits with comedic performances, in a personality trait he says was inherited from the late Princess Diana.
He added that as one of the most influential and well-known royal couples in the world, the Prince and Princess of Wales exude “soft power” with their more subdued, non-traditional royal visits and appearances.
The Prince of Wales brings his light-hearted sense of humor to public appearances and royal duties in a style that has “echoes of Diana,” claimed royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams
Last summer, just a few months before his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, died, Prince William began ramping up his campaign to end homelessness in the United Kingdom.
Instead of appearing in his usual crisp suit and shirt, William donned a red vest and branded red baseball cap to offer copies of the magazine, which is often sold by the homeless and the long-term unemployed, to the public.
At the start of his experiment, the royal went almost entirely unnoticed on the streets of Victoria, central London – but soon he and his partner Dave Martin, who is a regular Big Issue seller, attracted a lot of attention and managed to sell 32 copies .
In April, Prince William and Princess Kate visited Birmingham to meet small business owners – and he couldn’t pass up the chance to spend an afternoon working in a restaurant
In 2021, while promoting the serious cause of improving mental health for men, the Prince of Wales made a guest appearance on That Peter Crouch Podcast, serving curry and drinking pints with the presenters
According to Fitzwilliams, the prince’s stunt, coupled with William’s many other, more serious trips to charities like The Passage, suggests he’s championing fewer charities than some of the royals who preceded him, and therefore spending more time spend on each of them. .
“Prince William is in a uniquely fortunate position,” he said. “He and Catherine have chosen to have relatively few patronages numerically, but do a lot to raise the profile of those they are attached to.”
It wasn’t the first time William made headlines with a surprise appearance, having joined Peter Crouch, Chris Stark and Tom Fordyce on That Peter Crouch Podcast in 2021, where he served a curry and sipped a pint – while he serious issue of men’s mental health.
To shine a spotlight on the cause of ending homelessness that is close to William’s heart, he pulled off a catchy stunt selling The Big Issue
William completed his stint as a salesman on The Big Issue while holding the title of Duke of Cambridge. However, his light-hearted style has evolved even further since he took on the new role of Prince of Wales when his father ascended the throne.
While playing his own part, William adds a touch of comedy to his responsibilities as Prince of Wales.
During a visit to a hospital in Ipswich in February, the Prince of Wales got talking to employees of the East of England Ambulance Service – and enjoyed some sweet treats baked especially for him by service delivery manager Kerry Gaskin.
During a visit to Ipswich Hospital in February, the Prince of Wales met East England Ambulance Officer Kerry Gaskin and took the opportunity to participate in a FaceTime call with her child
While he was talking to the mother, she decided to give her child, a sixth form student in Colchester, Essex, a FaceTime call to introduce them to the Prince of Wales – leaving a group of pupils stunned and hysterical.
During the conversation, the prince says, “Who’s that guy on the corner?” and points to the student as the others laugh and the camera focuses on the shy boy, who giggles and bows his head.
The Prince then pranks the apprentice, who is red-haired and looks like Ed Sheeran, causing the students to burst out laughing.
Among the giggles, William asks, “Are you guys doing any work?” to which the student choir replies: ‘No!’
The student’s mother steps in and tells the kids, “You should be,” before letting her know they’re on lunch break.
During a trip to Birmingham with Princess Kate in April, the father of three visited the Indian Steatery restaurant – and decided to give it his all as a restaurant host.
In an amusing clip, William, 40, was seen chatting with a restaurant calling to book a table for two.
The call came towards the end of the visit at around 1:45 p.m., when the Prince and Princess were about to be presented with a selection of dishes to taste. “Should I take the order?” William joked.
Then, before anyone had time to respond, he picked up the phone and started talking to the restaurant. “Do we have room for two now?” William asked Meena Sharma, chef and co-owner with her husband Rakesh. ‘Half past two?’ he proposed. ‘Does that work for you? No, apparently not at the moment.
‘Do you have a train at 3 am? If you could come in at 2:30 am that would be fine. For two people? Maybe a quarter past two and can you catch the train at three?’
The only hiccup in an otherwise flawless performance was William mutilating the restaurant’s address and changing ‘Bennetts Hill’ to something more like Benitsia Street.
As he put the phone down and the restaurant erupted in laughter, the Prince said: “I probably sent him elsewhere in Birmingham, so my apologies.”
As the Prince of Wales settles into his role with a light-hearted look, Mr Fitzwilliams said the royal family is enjoying the “extra freedom” he has in the role of Prince of Wales before he becomes king one day.
He said: ‘(William) can speak out, although he is unlikely to follow Charles’s often controversial personal style.’