Authenticity, he explained, will be central to his reign. “Being authentic, being myself, being genuine is what drives me. If I’m not true to myself and I’m not true to what I stand for and believe in, then it kind of doesn’t really matter who you are. It gets lost.”

The Prince also reflected on his role as a father and on preparing Prince George, 12, for the day he will inherit the crown. “I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, and a world and a job that does impact people’s lives for the better,” he said. “That is caveated with I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past that Harry and I had to grow up in, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”

William also spoke candidly about the weight of history surrounding Windsor Castle, suggesting that tradition must always be balanced with progress. “If you’re not careful, history can feel like a real anchor and weight around you. I think it’s important to live for the here and now. If you’re too intrinsically attached to history, you can’t possibly have any flexibility because you worry the chess pieces move too much, and therefore no change will happen. I like a little bit of change.”

While emphasizing the value of tradition, the future King stressed the importance of questioning its relevance. “Tradition has a huge part of all of this,” he said. “But there are also points where you look at tradition and ask, is that fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do? Are we having the most impact we could be having?”

The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy special episode featuring Prince William premieres Friday, October 3, on Apple TV+.