Wikipedia

William, Prince of Wales in film and television

William, Prince of Wales (born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. A British prince, he has been the subject of various depictions in film, television and documentaries. These include fictionalized portrayals of William, such as by Nico Evers-Swindell in William & Kate: The Movie and Hugh Skinner in The Windsors, and appearances by William himself, such as in Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy and A Planet for Us All, a film on William's environmental advocacy.

Portrait of Prince William of the United Kingdom
William, Prince of Wales has been portrayed in various media, including Cars 2 and The Crown.

From The Guardian to The Daily Telegraph, various critics have given commentary on the various representations of William in film and television. Moreover, some of the actors behind the depictions of William, including Oliver Chris and Ed McVey, have commented on their experiences portraying the prince. Furthermore, William has reacted to being portrayed in The Crown.

In addition to film and television depictions, William is also the source of various eponyms, including the Duke of Cambridge Stakes and the Prince William Cup.

Background

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William at the 2019 Trooping the Colour ceremony with his wife, Catherine, and three children, George, Charlotte and Louis

The eldest son of King Charles III and Princess Diana, William was born on 21 June 1982 in London. He would go on to be educated at Eton College in England and the University of St Andrews in Scotland, graduating with a degree in geography at the latter institution in 2005.[1] Afterwards, William undertook military service at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,[2] eventually becoming a lieutenant.[1]

On 29 April 2011, William married Catherine Middleton, who he met while studying at the University of St Andrews.[1] The couple would go on to have three children together: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.[2]

In the course of his royal duties, William has increased public awareness of mental health, the natural environment, and homelessness. In 2017, he spearheaded Heads Together, a campaign which aspired to reduce the stigma of and provide vital assistance to people experiencing mental health conditions, with Catherine and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.[a] Also, in 2020, William launched the Earthshot Prize, a prize consisting of five challenges and recognizing solutions to environmental challenges. Furthermore, in 2023, William launched Homewards, a programme promoting a collaborative approach to ending homelessness.[4]

Film and documentary depictions

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William and Catherine on the balcony of Buckingham Palace immediately after their wedding ceremony. Their romance was the subject of two films released in 2011.

William was the subject of the 2002[5] film Prince William, which portrayed the relationship between William navigating his adolescence, as well as his relationship with Charles III.[6] William was depicted by Jordan Frieda, who admitted in an interview that he believed the film was "tacky".[7] Moreover, the press gave Prince William a "drubbing".[7] However, Ann Hodges, a television critic for the Houston Chronicle, commented that Prince William "keeps you watching".[8]

Nine years later, William's relationship with Catherine would be depicted in Lifetime's William & Kate: The Movie. William was portrayed by Nico Evers-Swindell, who researched his role in approximately five days.[9] The Evening Standard commented that the film "was absolutely ace" and that the English would cherish the production in ways not anticipated by the filmmakers.[10] In contrast, Stephen Bates, writing for The Guardian, opined that Evers-Swindell's acting of William "varies from plain wooden to teak-like".[11] In response to criticism of William & Kate: The Movie, Evers-Swindell said that the film production was neither British nor an in-depth look at the British royal family.[9]

Also, in 2011, William's relationship with Catherine was the subject of the Hallmark Channel film William & Catherine: A Royal Romance.[12] Dan Amboyer, who portrayed William, did not have background knowledge of the later Prince of Wales prior to starring in the film. Amboyer would watch documentaries in preparation for depicting William.[13] Writing for the New York Daily News, David Hinckley commented that Amboyer’s portrayal made the attraction between William and Catherine "naturally credible".[14] In contrast, Brian Lowry, writing for Variety, commented that if the depiction of William and Catherine in William & Catherine: A Royal Romance were to be believed, the couple would be two of the most boring people on the planet.[15]

Furthermore, William was the inspiration for Prince Wheeliam, a character in the 2011 Pixar film Cars 2.[16]

In 2017, William was featured as a character in the BBC Two film King Charles III.[17] He was depicted by Oliver Chris, who watched footage of William, Charles III, and Diana to prepare for the role.[18] Writing for Vulture, Devon Ivie commented that Chris’s portrayed William "as a bit of a bumbling fool who’s dominated by [Catherine] despite his good intentions".[19] However, Mark Lawson, writing for The Guardian, opined that William was reasonably presented as being overshadowed by Diana in King Charles III via the appearance of the latter's ghost.[20] Moreover, Chris has said that if William had seen his depiction, William "would see that it’s done with an awful lot of respect and admiration".[17]

Additionally, in 2017, William spoke about his memories of Diana in Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, which was directed by Ashley Gething.[21] Despite calling the documentary less than certainly admirable, Brian Lowry, writing for CNN, commented that one need not be obsessed with the British royal family to appreciate William's grief.[22] Moreover, Sam Wollaston, writing for The Guardian, described William’s reminiscing of Diana as "normal, human, and moving".[23]

Furthermore, in 2017, William described his reaction to Diana’s death and processing the subsequent outpouring of grief from the public in Diana, 7 Days,[24], which Harry Singer directed.[25] Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Gerard O'Donovan commented that the documentary skillfully balanced the private grief of the people closest to Diana with the grief of the general public.[25]

In 2018, William was depicted by Burgess Abernethy in Lifetime's Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance.[26] Writing for The Guardian, Amy Nicholson opined that Abernethy’s depiction of William was "hopelessly stuffy and old" and "the end cap of a dynastic tradition that Harry and Meghan are excited to implode".[27] In addition, Ed Power, writing for The Irish Times, referred to William’s depiction in Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance as essentially a Spitting Image puppet without the shade and humanity.[28]

In 2020, William participated in the ITV documentary A Planet for Us All. In the film, William discusses his efforts to combat animal poaching and climate change. William has also spoken to Radio Times on A Planet for Us All, saying: "I feel it is my duty, and our collective responsibility to leave out [sic] planet in a stronger position for our children".[29] Writing for The Independent, Sean O'Grady commented that A Planet for Us All was surprisingly moving and that William "is becoming quite an adept TV presenter".[30] In contrast, Anita Singh, writing for The Daily Telegraph, opined that the documentary failed to comprehensively explain William's role in addressing the environment and conservation and that it would have been more instructive to see the connection between William's various initiatives.[31]

In 2021, William was depicted by Jack Nielen in Spencer, which was directed by Pablo Larraín.[32]

Television depictions

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The Crown

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In Season 6 of The Crown, William, as portrayed by Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey, processes the death of Diana.

Multiple actors have depicted William in The Crown, a television series that premiered on Netflix in 2016.[33] In Season 4 of the series, Lucas Barber-Grant portrays William. However, Barber-Grant would be replaced by Senan West in Season 5 of The Crown,[34] which chronicled the breakdown of Charles III and Diana's marriage.[33]

Dominic West, Senan's father and the actor for Charles on The Crown, stopped Senan from portraying William in Season 6 of the series to avoid conveying the news of Diana's death on screen to Senan.[33] Consequently, Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey would depict William in the sixth and final season of The Crown. In these episodes, William is shown enduring the fallout of Charles and Diana's divorce, Diana's death, and meeting Catherine.[34] In preparation for portraying William, McVey learned about the prince's physicality and experimented with his vocal pitch.[35]

Writing for Time, Judy Berman commented the grief that Kampa's depiction of William displayed was "crowded out' by the royal stage-managing in Season 6 of The Crown.[36] Moreover, Martha Ross, writing for The Mercury News, opined that Kampa's William had been set up as the young hero of The Crown in the first part of Season 6.[37] Likewise, James Hibbs, writing for Radio Times, said that William was the "clear star" of the second part of Season 6 of The Crown, describing McVey's portrayal as a "captivating screen presence".[38] However, Hibbs also opined that the series had unnecessarily fabricated high drama in its depiction of William and Catherine's relationship.[38] Similarly, writing for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall commented that The Crown excessively focused on McVey's depiction of William.[39] Furthermore, Sepinwall remarked that William had been presented as "a fairly normal kid" whose feelings towards Catherine would be roughly the same as if he were a non-royal character.[39]

According to Robert Hardman, William had no plans to watch his portrayal in The Crown. Additionally, according to Hardman, William "rolls his eyes when people say that '[The Crown] is just drama'".[40]

Other media

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In 2011, William's marriage ceremony to Catherine would be parodied in the South Park episode "Royal Pudding".[41]

In addition, in 2014, William served as the inspiration behind the Prince of Canada, a character in the South Park episode "Freemium Isn’t Free".[42]

Hugh Skinner portrays William in the Channel 4 television series The Windsors, launched in 2016.[43] In the series, William grapples with eventually becoming a king. In preparation for the role, Skinner watched a few interviews of William, and Skinner listened to William to develop the former's accent. Skinner has also said that he does not believe William could take offence at his portrayal, noting that "the person they've written in the script is so good and heroic".[44]

In the 2020s, William has been depicted in two scenes of Spitting Image: "Prince William Presents the Earthshot Prize"[45] and "The Royal Succession".[46]

In 2021, Iwan Rheon voiced William in HBO's animated series The Prince.[47]

See also

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Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ Harry is the brother of William, Prince of Wales.[3]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c "The Prince of Wales". The Royal Family. The Royal Household. n.d. Biography. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales". Government of Canada. n.d. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  3. ^ Burchfield 2024, para. 2.
  4. ^ "The Prince of Wales". The Royal Family. The Royal Household. n.d. About The Prince of Wales. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  5. ^ Deans, Jason (19 March 2002). "Prince William to get TV treatment". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group plc. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Prince William movie: Your views". British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 October 2002. About The Prince of Wales. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b Jardine, Cassandra (28 May 2004). "'Prince William? I needed the work'". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  8. ^ Hodges, Ann (27 September 2002). "Review: ABC movie portrays Prince William in a heroic light". Chron.com. Hearst Newspapers, LLC. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b Powers, Lindsay (19 April 2011). "Lifetime's Prince William Defends Movie Against Critics". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  10. ^ "FIRST REVIEW - William & Kate: The Movie is a classic". London Evening Standard. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  11. ^ Bates, Stephen (14 April 2011). "William and Kate: The Movie - so bad it'll probably be a smash". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group plc. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  12. ^ Schutte, Lauren (5 May 2011). "Production Begins On 'William & Catherine: A Royal Romance'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  13. ^ Nededog, Jethro (27 July 2011). "Hallmark Channel's 'William & Catherine' Stars Talk Researching the Royal Newlyweds". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  14. ^ Hinckley, David (27 August 2011). "'William & Catherine: A Royal Romance' review: Hallmark portrays friendly, glowing royal courtship". New York Daily News. Daily News Enterprises. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  15. ^ Lowry, Brian (24 August 2011). "William & Catherine: A Royal Romance". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  16. ^ Reynolds, Simon (20 April 2011). "Vanessa Redgrave to voice the Queen in 'Cars 2'". Digital Spy. Sky Digital. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  17. ^ a b "King Charles III: Outcry 'surprises' Prince William actor Oliver Chris". British Broadcasting Corporation. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  18. ^ Chris, Oliver (13 March 2017). "Interview with Oliver Chris: "I've lived my whole life with people saying 'When are you going to be Prince William?'"". The Theatre Times (Interview). Interviewed by Alice Jones. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  19. ^ Ivie, Devon (31 May 2017). "It's Time to Watch King Charles III, the Future-History Royal Drama That's Dividing the U.K." Vulture. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  20. ^ Lawson, Mark (10 May 2017). "Stop frothing, royalists – King Charles III is the boldest BBC show of the year". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group plc. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  21. ^ Scheck, Frank (22 July 2017). "'Diana: Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  22. ^ Lowry, Brian (24 July 2017). "'Diana: Our Mother' examines legacy through her sons' eyes". Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  23. ^ Wollaston, Sam (25 July 2017). "Diana, Our Mother review – William and Harry remember the hugs, 20 years on". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group plc. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  24. ^ Mackelden, Amy (1 September 2017). "10 Things We Learned About Princess Diana and Her Death from Diana, 7 Days". Harper's Bazaar. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  25. ^ a b O'Donovan, Gerard (27 August 2017). "Diana, 7 Days, review - a poignant reminder of the phenomenon that was the princess's life - and her death". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  26. ^ Bailey, Alyssa (23 February 2018). "Meet Lifetime's TV Movie Prince William, Kate Middleton...and Princess Diana?!". ELLE. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  27. ^ Nicholson, Amy (14 May 2018). "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance review – a brain-numbing charmer from Lifetime". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group plc. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  28. ^ Power, Ed (14 May 2018). "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance review – a brain-numbing charmer from Lifetime". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  29. ^ Morris, Lauren (5 October 2020). "Prince William explains motivation behind documentary in A Planet for Us All clip". RadioTimes.com. Immediate Media Company Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  30. ^ O'Grady, Sean (6 October 2020). "Prince William – A Planet for Us All, review: It's easy to be cynical, but I found it surprisingly moving". The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media Limited. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  31. ^ Singh, Anita (5 October 2020). "Prince William: A Planet for Us All, review: can the Prince become the new Greta Thunberg?". The Daily Telegraph. Telgraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  32. ^ Scott, A.O. (4 November 2021). "'Spencer' Review: Prisoner of the House of Windsor". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  33. ^ a b c Henni, Janine (4 December 2023). "Dominic West Says He Stopped Son Senan from Acting in The Crown Season 6 Because of Key Scene". People. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  34. ^ a b Robinson, Abby; Knight, Lewis (19 December 2023). "The Crown season 6 cast: Full list of actors and characters". RadioTimes.com. Immediate Media Company Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  35. ^ McVey, Ed (15 December 2023). "Ed McVey Portrays a Complex Prince William in The Crown's Final Season". Harper's Bazaar (Interview). Interviewed by Max Gao. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  36. ^ Berman, Judy (16 November 2023). "The Crown Hits a Disappointing New Low in Its Maudlin Sixth Season". TIME. TIME USA, LLC. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  37. ^ Ross, Martha (21 November 2023). "So far, Prince William is the young hero in 'The Crown's' Season 6". The Mercury News. MediaNews Group. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  38. ^ a b Hibbs, James (14 December 2023). "The Crown season 6 part 2 review: William is key to improved final run". RadioTimes.com. Immediate Media Company Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  39. ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (14 December 2023). "'The Crown' Ends With Too Much Prince William and Kate Middleton". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  40. ^ Hill, Erin (16 January 2024). "Kate Middleton and Prince William's True Feelings About The Crown Revealed". People. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  41. ^ Ward, Kate (11 May 2011). "'South Park' spoofing Royal Wedding tonight. What other current events should it parody?". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  42. ^ O'Sullivan, Kyle (17 February 2023). "South Park did even more savage takedown of William and Kate - and violated the Queen". The Daily Mirror. Reach plc. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  43. ^ Hunt, Julia (5 July 2017). "The Windsors star Hugh Skinner: I feel sorry for Royal Family". Irish Independent. Mediahuis. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  44. ^ Skinner, Hugh (18 April 2016). "Interview withThe Windsors' Hugh Skinner". Channel 4 (Interview). Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  45. ^ Spitting Image (24 October 2021). Prince William Presents The Earthshot Prize (Television production). Spitting Image. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  46. ^ BritBoxUK (21 September 2022). The Royal Succession (Television production). Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  47. ^ Rheon, Iwan (22 July 2023). "Iwan Rheon interview: 'The Prince of Wales is an archaic title – get rid of it'". The Daily Telegraph (Interview). Interviewed by Chris Harvey. Telgraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 26 July 2024.

References

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Further reading

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