The Duke of Cambridge reveals the song which reminds him of Princess Diana
The Duke of Cambridge shared the song which reminds him of his late mother, Princess Diana during a podcast promoting walking for mental wellbeing.
Prince William spoke during the Apple Fitness+ podcast Time to Walk about his experiences with mental health and how walking helps him destress while sharing family memories, and three songs which are important to him.
The Duke said that Tina Turner’s song The Best reminded him of car journeys back to boarding school after the holidays with his mother, Princess Diana.
He revealed she used to sing along to loud music in the front seat and that he and his brother, Prince Harry would join in, even managing to get the policeman who travelled with them in the car to sing too.
He said Princess Diana would play the songs to help “while away [his] anxieties” about going back to school and that listening to the Tina Turner song now, “takes [him] back to those car journeys” and “brings back memories of being with [his] mother.”
Of his mother, Prince William said, “She wanted to make sure that I understood that life happens very much outside of palace walls,” and recalled visits to homeless shelters with her where he heard stories of people who had had difficult lives.
The Duke also chose two other songs to play during the podcast, the second of which was Shakira’s Waka Waka, which he revealed was a current favourite with his children. He said their family were big music fans and that, “most mornings there is a massive fight between Charlotte and George over which song will play,” so they now have to take it in turns each day to choose the first song.
Waka Waka is the most recent hit, with Prince William saying Princess Charlotte goes “crazy” dancing around the kitchen with Prince Louis following, adding, “there’s a lot of hip movement going on."
The Duke’s third and final song choice may be the most surprising, however, as he revealed that he starts every Monday morning by listening to ACDC’s Thunderstruck to energise him and set him up for the week.
As well as discussing music, Prince William used much of the podcast to talk around mental health and revealed a personal incident which affected his own while working in the RAF Search and Rescue team.
He attended a serious incident involving an injured boy and said that, “there are some things in life you don’t really want to see” and “the parents [were] very hysterical as you can imagine…in real agony…that lives with you.”
Prince William said the full impact of the incident hit him a few weeks later, saying, “it was like someone had put a key in a lock and opened it…I felt like the whole world was dying.”
Luckily, he was able to access support through the RAF and get the help he needed. “Mental health has been a taboo and a stigma all around the world…it’s opening up,” he said, but added that there was much more to be done.
The Duke said in some cases he had been able to see those who had survived incidents after rescue and meet their families. His voice broke as he said, “when they come in and say thank you…it still affects me now.”
As well as sharing this poignant memory, Prince William revealed a light-hearted experience which brought him out of his comfort zone and helped him to learn to laugh at himself.
During an event at which Jon Bon Jovi was performing, Prince William said the was seated next to Taylor Swift who said they should get up and sing too. He said he, “followed her like a puppy” and ended up on stage, revealing the moment still made him “cringe” to this day, but he learned to laugh at it.
“I am standing on stage singing Living on Prayer when I don’t even know the words...I sing as hard as I can,” he said, but “beneath my suit there was a lot of sweating going on.”
Other tidbits of personal life Prince William revealed during the podcast included Prince Louis’s love of tractors and memories of walking with his grandfather, Prince Philip as a child. He apparently walked so fast there were “huge spaces” between the walking parties, “with us at the back with little legs trying to keep up.”
The Duke of Cambridge added that during the annual Church service at Sandringham for Christmas, he would sit opposite his cousins and they would all get the giggles every year as children. He also revealed that it was a trip in a helicopter with his father, Prince Charles, as a boy which inspired him to join the RAF when he left Cambridge.
You can listen to the full episode as a subscriber to Apple Fitness+ or hear it for free via Apple Radio, which can be accessed on the Apple Music app.
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