William opens up the episode reflecting on his father’s love for running and that Charles “tried all the time to get Harry and me out of the house” during his childhood, adding that “we really don’t get any of that had”.
“But now, as you get older, you appreciate it a lot more and see it for what it is,” says William.
The Royal is the latest star to record a walk-and-talk for the series, which is available on the Apple Watch with a Fitness + subscription.
Each episode, which is between 25 and 40 minutes long, is meant to be an immersive experience. Featured guests take a stroll in a meaningful place and reflect on the lessons of life as they share memories and experiences through stories, photos, and songs.
William’s stroll – which he recorded earlier this spring – takes him through his family’s 20,000 acre Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England. From Sandringham House, he soaks in the sights and sounds of “the great British countryside, as we like to call them” as he walks towards St. Mary Magdalene Church where the Royals will attend the Christmas service later this month. He finishes the trip in front of Anm Hall, the house he shares with his wife Catherine and their children.
In light of his family’s annual Christmas pilgrimage, William speaks of his “strong memories” of his grandfather moving forward while “we were at the back with little legs trying to keep up”.
During the episode, the prince talks about the importance of staying mentally fit and recalls a moment almost a decade ago that made him sweat in an evening wear.
He ponders how he “can’t believe I’m actually telling this story” and talks about a 2013 fundraising gala at Kensington Palace attended by US singers Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift that “almost blew me away” .
William says there is always “a lot of handshakes” those nights when he tries to “be charming and interactive”. Then he watches the performance and thinks that his main tasks of the evening – first and foremost welcoming guests – are over and he can relax a little.
“I’m sitting next to Taylor Swift. She is on my left. And after Jon does his first song there is a pause and she turns to me. She puts her hand on my arm, looks into my eyes and says, ‘Come on, William. Let’s sing, ‘”he recalls.
“To this day, I still don’t know what came over me. Honestly, even now I shudder at what happened next, and I don’t understand why I gave in. But honestly, if Taylor Swift got you into the.” Eye, touch your arm and say, ‘Come on …’ I got up like a puppy and said, ‘Yeah, okay, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you.’ “
William continues with his anecdote in which he describes walking onto the stage “in a trance”, desperately trying to recall the lyrics to “Livin ‘On a Prayer”.
“I sweated a lot under my black tie. I felt like a swan, trying to calm myself down on the outside, but the little legs paddle quickly inside,” says the Royal, adding, while he’s very fond of speaking he has less experience with live singing.
“Sometimes, when you’re being pulled out of your comfort zone, you have to join in,” he adds.
During the episode, the Duke also reveals the impact his time as a rescue pilot had on his mental health. He describes an experience of helping a little boy get hit by a car.
William says he was “pretty excited but not noticeably gone home that night” and was aware that “something had changed … a real tension in me”. He describes how he divides his feelings and returns to work, but “it really hit me weeks later”.
“My personal life and everything was absolutely fine. I was happy at home and happy at work, but I kept looking at myself and thinking, ‘Why do I feel this way? Why am I so sad?’ And I realized that you are actually taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness, and it affects you. “
He says he was “lucky” to have someone from the Air Ambulance Service to speak to, adding that he has spoken to frontline workers struggling with mental health throughout the pandemic and he encourage the audience to seek support as he does.
The episode also features a few pieces of music by the Prince, including Tina Turner’s “The Best,” which his mother blew up in the car while driving her sons back to boarding school.
“Sitting in the back seat and singing, it felt like a real family moment,” says William. “And my mother, she drove with us and sang at the top of her throat. And we even got the policeman into the car, and he sang along from time to time.”
These days, the father of three says he is amazed that his own children “have already inherited my family’s love for music”.
“One of the songs the kids love right now is Shakira, ‘Waka Waka,'” he explains. “Especially Charlotte runs through the kitchen in her clothes and ballet clothes and everything else. She goes completely insane when Louis follows her and tries to do the same. “
Williams episode wraps up the show’s second season, with previous guests including British heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, actor and comedian Stephen Fry, and CNN’s own Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Three leading mental health charities selected by the Duke receive a charitable donation from Apple – Shout in the UK, Crisis Text Line in the US and Lifeline in Australia. Shout and Crisis Text Line provide free confidential service to people in crisis via SMS 24/7, while Lifeline provides free 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services.
The special episode will be available for Fitness + subscribers on Monday, December 6th. The company will also stream three free broadcasts of the show on Apple Music 1, its flagship global radio station on Apple Music, starting at 8 a.m. GMT, 12 p.m. PST and 7 p.m. AEDT.
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