Prince William, 40, is a doting father to three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis with his wife Princess Kate, so it’s hard to remember him as a fresh-faced teenager.
The Prince looks almost unrecognizable in a throwback video taken inside the grounds of his father King Charles’ countryside home, Highgrove House.
Ahead of going on his gap year before starting university, William gave interviews to the press, with his proud father looking on.
Speaking about his volunteering project, he said: “I wanted to do something constructive in my gap year and I thought this was more of a way of trying to help people out and meet a whole range of different people from different countries.”
As well as explaining how he raised the funds for the trip (a sponsored water polo match) and how he’ll stay in touch with the royal family while he’s away (email), William thanked the press for how they treated him during his time at Eton College.
“You’ve all left me alone… it made a real big difference with everyone not trying to snap a picture when I was walking around the streets,” he said.
“I hope it continues for Harry when he’s there,” the young Prince remarked.
Privacy is now a massive issue for William’s brother Harry, with a stalker arrested at the gates of his home with his wife Meghan and also a reported “near catastrophic” car chase with paparazzi in New York.
How does Prince William keep his home private?
The Waleses live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor and have done since September 2022. It was a considerable downsize from their former home, as it only has four bedrooms.
As the property is located within the larger Windsor estate where the castle sits, it benefits from a hidden location and plus, “there are seven gated entrances and exits to Windsor Castle,” according to the Daily Mail.
Also, the inside of the property has rarely been pictured, meaning the interiors are kept private.
Security is of course of utmost importance for all of the royals, and King Charles’ level of safety is unparalleled.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s countryside bolt hole, Highgrove House, has a whole host of hidden security measures to keep the monarch safe, including a panic room, a no-fly zone and special laws that apply to the grounds.
There has been a lot of interesting speculation about what could be stored inside the panic room space, anything from food through to possible blood supplies that match the blood groups of Charles and Camilla!
