Prince William Has Just Earned a New Nickname From the British Press
As a working royal, Prince William spends much of his time interacting with the public. Plenty of his engagements involve royal walkabouts, where he meets with fans, offers handshakes, and even gives the occasional hug. The royal family has made public interaction a big part of their overall work, and it’s often covered by the British press.
William’s interactions with the public are apparently earning him a new nickname; the prince has become known as the Prince of Hugs after he has recently been spotted hugging more members of the public than ever before.
Prince William has been dubbed the ‘Prince of Hugs’
William completed just under 200 royal engagements in 2023, a number much lower than some of the other royals (Princess Anne, for example, completed more than 450). However, while he might not be known for the number of royal engagements he completes, he apparently is known for how he interacts with the people he meets.
Perhaps it’s just his holiday spirit, but William recently visited a homelessness charity in London called The Passage, where he was spotted giving plenty of hugs to the people involved. And before that, he met with a woman who had lost her son to suicide, and he embraced her at a royal event as well. In the past, William has not been the hugging type; he’s always been more of a handshake guy. But perhaps is role as the Prince of Wales is causing him to take a closer look at how he reaches out to the public, and since hugging is often seen as a comforting gesture, the prince might want to make himself appear more approachable and relatable to the public. Some think William could also be channeling his mother, Princess Diana, who was known for her hugging nature. It’s caused the British press to dub him the prince “of hugs.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton continue working on their reputations
William and Kate became the Prince and Princess of Wales back in September 2022 after Queen Elizabeth’s death. It hasn’t been an easy year for the royal family in terms of reputation, as the feud between the Sussexes and the royals has gained plenty of attention. Recently, Kate was named as one of the royals who allegedly expressed concern about Prince Archie’s skin color, which the royal family still has not commented on.
As William and Kate get closer to taking the throne, they continue to define themselves as different from previous royals. Both the prince and princess have taken very hands-on roles in their children’s lives; Kate made headlines earlier this year when she opted not to attend William’s event in Singapore in order to support Prince George as he prepared for testing at school. They have set themselves apart as royals who will put their family first, which has not always been the case among this British family.
William has taken on homelessness as a major pillar of his patronage. The hugging scene might be his way of also bringing attention to the cause in a positive way.
