Before her tragic death, Princess Diana is said to have made a prediction about her eldest son, Prince William — and according to a former royal correspondent, it has now come true.
Diana passed away in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when William was only 15 years old. The accident also claimed the lives of her partner, Dodi Fayed, and the driver, Henri Paul.
Her passing deeply impacted both William and his younger brother, Prince Harry. William later described grief as “the very worst pain any child or parent will ever endure.”
Harry, now the Duke of Sussex, had also spoken about the final phone call he shared with his mother, expressing regret that the call had been so brief.
Jennie Bond, a former royal correspondent for the BBC, recently reflected on a conversation she once had with Diana. In it, Diana reportedly spoke about how much the public liked William — a comment that, in hindsight, now seems quite prophetic.
“Clearly, William is doing something very right. His informal, approachable way of going about his work is resonating with the public,” Jennie told The Mirror.
“Even the way he talks is different to previous generations. He’s well spoken, of course, but not overly posh. He dresses well, of course, but is quite often wearing jeans and trainers.
“He’ll pose for selfies with the crowds, he’ll even work the camera for them if they get flustered!”
Jennie also said that Diana had predicted this herself, recalling how she had said: “William’s alright. The country is very lucky to have William. I think she was bang on.”
Data from Statistica shows that Prince William ranks as the most popular living royal, followed by Kate Middleton and Princess Anne.
King Charles comes next, followed by Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
Queen Camilla ranks seventh in popularity, with Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie coming after her.
Prince Harry currently holds the 10th spot, while his wife, Meghan Markle, is just behind him at 11th.
Earlier this week, we shared news about Prince William’s rumored plans to move away from a royal tradition that King Charles has emphasized.
Journalist and commentator Richard Eden suggests that when William becomes king, he may reject the ‘streamlined monarchy’ approach that Charles, now 76, has pursued in recent years.
In the past, royal family members were expected to attend a huge number of official events annually. According to The Guardian, about 4,000 engagements in a year was typical around ten years ago.
“Prince William, like his father, has always favoured slim-down monarchy as the future, and what that looks like being now is just William and Catherine and their children,” podcast host Richard Eden said this week on Palace Confidential.
“But, how on Earth could they justify all the wealth and palaces for that one nuclear family?
“From what I’m hearing is that Prince William is starting to see the value of his cousins and what, in the long term, they could give.”