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Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Iris Goldsztajn

How William has changed since Harry's royal departure and the Queen's death

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge speaks with military veterans now working for the NHS as he visits Evelina London Children's Hospital to launch a nationwide programme to help veterans find work in the NHS on January 18, 2018 in London, England.

Prince William is technically the most important member of the Royal Family after his father the King, and in recent months, the royal has shown himself up to that task.

Since Prince Harry left the UK, the Queen passed away, and William became Prince of Wales, he has taken this role very seriously, and gained adoration from royal fans in doing so.

"William exudes confidence these days. I think this comes from growing older, becoming more comfortable in your own skin, the vast experience he now has of being centre stage, and learning to cope with the glare of pretty constant publicity," royal expert Jennie Bond commented to OK!.

"I remember how his mother, Diana, told me that William found the relentless presence of cameras very difficult. But, she told me, 'he will learn to cope. He will get used to it.' And she was right."

Jennie went on to explain that William's 'dashing' looks also stand him in good stead.

"When I was with him in Canada six months after Diana’s death, young girls went wild for William," she says, sounding to us as if describing a member of a popular boy band.

"They screamed, cried, wanted to hug him, held out signs saying they wanted to marry him, and generally embarrassed the hell out of the poor boy.

"Harry thought it was hilarious and kept encouraging the crowd to go on screaming. William found it pretty excruciating, his cheeks went bright red and he couldn’t wait for the meeting and greeting to be over."

Though William might have been embarrassed by this kind of attention as a teenager, these days Jennie believes he doesn't mind it so much.

"Nowadays, though, he’s used to that kind of adulation — albeit not quite so manic — and I think he quite enjoys it," she observed.

The Prince of Wales proved how popular he can be with members of the public over the past few days, when he surprised diners by serving them 'Earthshot burgers' from a food truck.

One stunned fan even said of the encounter: "My brain took, like, three seconds to buffer. Am I dreaming? Have I had enough sleep?"

That's the Prince William effect for you!

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