Connect with us

Published

on

Photographed in a beam of sunlight, Prince William walked through Westminster Abbey with the King behind him.

The ornate robes of the Order of the Bath service, two weeks ago, felt like a world away from the more modern image he wants to portray.

But as a man bestowed with so many traditional titles, it’s a new role he’s shaping for himself that is more intriguing – William, the quiet disruptor.

The Prince of Wales at the Order of the Bath Service at Westminster Abbey, in the Order’s 300th anniversary year. Pic: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
Image:
The Prince of Wales at the Order of the Bath Service at Westminster Abbey. Pic: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

In a week when Time Magazine named the Prince and Princess of Wales in its top 100 philanthropists list for “modernising royal philanthropy”, I spent the week following the prince on various engagements.

None of them particularly headline-grabbing, but all examples of how he’s setting out to do things differently, or underlining the challenges, and potential criticisms, he faces doing things his own way.

Take Tuesday, for example.

We weren’t expecting him to turn up as we waited at the Soho Hotel in London to watch a new series of films about the dangers faced by wildlife rangers, a project described as “the brainchild” of Prince William.

But all of a sudden, there he was in the room, taking the mic to explain what it really means to him.

Speaking about his drive to “give a voice to the voiceless”, it was indicative of what feels like a greater desire from him to articulate more publicly what he stands for.

Since November, when he described how he wanted to carry out his duties with “a smaller r in the royal”, you’ve got the sense William, and his team, have further wanted to cement in our minds where he sees his role.

From conversations this week, with those who work closely with him, the word “convening” came up time and again; the prince doesn’t want to waste what he knows is a unique position, to bring people together, start conversations and support those who are already doing amazing things in their communities.

Prince William recording the opening scenes for a documentary focusing on rangers and the dangers they face.
Pic: PA
Image:
Prince William recording the opening scenes for a documentary about rangers and the dangers they face.
Pic: PA

Shifting the dial

But this isn’t just about him personally.

This is now a man whose vision for the monarchy, I’m told, is increasingly driven by a desire to “shift the dial on global leadership” where others may be failing.

With palace sources telling me he’d be more than happy to “be acknowledged” as a quiet disruptor, despite the criticism his new ways of working might bring.

Those who’ve known him a long time will tell you this compulsion to do things differently has been there for some time.

Prince William during a recent royal visit.
Pic: PA
Image:
Prince William during a recent royal visit.
Pic: PA

Dr Tessy Ojo, the chief executive from The Diana Award, has worked with Prince William and Prince Harry for over 20 years.

She said: “They would never do royal engagements from the sense of cutting the ribbon or simply being poster people. We were very clearly warned if you wanted any form of engagement, it almost had to have a whole strategy behind it.”

She told me she has always sensed how much William appreciates the responsibility that comes with his role, especially in a world where “there’s a massive demand on leadership… there’s a lot of distrust on leaders”.

“What people wanted 40 years ago from their monarch is completely different,” she said.

“I think it’s super important that as the heir, as the next monarch, he’s very in tune with what the people want, and what people expect. And being able to be that 21st century monarch, who is a present dad, but also a leader who understands how to use your leadership for social good”.

A modern royal

Wednesday, and William walked into a sweaty, but infectiously positive, community hall in Leith in Edinburgh.

No ribbon cutting here, but this is the kind of visit the prince now sees as a big deal, “impact” the buzz word ahead of any engagement now.

A very lively game of football launching what they hope will be a long-term tie-up between the Royal Foundation (their charitable trust), Leith community centre and Street Soccer Scotland.

The Prince of Wales playing football during the visit to Leith.
Pic: PA
Image:
The Prince of Wales playing football during the visit to Leith.
Pic: PA

The Prince of Wales,  known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, and Street Soccer Scotland founder and chief executive David Duke (back centre left) pose with football coaches and players during his visit to Leith Community Centre, Edinburgh.
Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

On Thursday, the sight of a guard of honour saluting the prince and princess, as the national anthem was played alongside HMS Glasgow, just emphasised the regular handbrake turns they face from the more relaxed to the formal, as they want to make the monarchy feel connected and relevant.

Then there is family to consider, in a way that past generations just haven’t.

Their working diaries are now arranged around their children. They’ve made no secret of that.

On paper, it means fewer engagements compared to other members of the family, and it has led to mutterings of that word no one within the palace wants to hear: “workshy”.

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the naming ceremony for HMS Glasgow.
Pic: PA
Image:
The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the naming ceremony for HMS Glasgow.
Pic: PA

Making an impact?

But talking to people in Glasgow, away from the royal visit, I overwhelmingly found most thought William was setting a good example by putting family first.

What people were less clear on was his “social impact” work and what that is all about.

The community projects may not necessarily grab as much attention as William and his advisors want, but what will be fascinating to watch is the potential long-term impact of this new kind of ethos.

As the Prince and Princess of Wales stood on the steps of Buckingham Palace at a garden party on Tuesday, pausing for the national anthem, you can’t help but wonder whether those traditional elements of royal life could face a shake-up when one day he leads the firm full time.

Understandably, no one likes to talk about transition, and Prince William certainly doesn’t shout about his thoughts on what will come.

Read more from Sky News:
Arsenal win Women’s Champions League
What do dolphins get up to beneath the waves?
Mother and her three children die in house fire

But as heir, his vision for the future and what royal leadership should look like could have huge consequences for the institution.

An impact far more significant and lasting than the noisy disruptions it’s faced from other family members in recent years.

Continue Reading

UK

Why do so many from around the world try to cross the English Channel?

Published

on

By

Why do so many from around the world try to cross the English Channel?

While the politicians talk, so many people come from around the world to try to get across the Channel on small boats. But why?

Why make such a perilous crossing to try to get to a country that seems to be getting increasingly hostile to asylum seekers?

As the British and French leaders meet, with small boats at the forefront of their agenda, we came to northern France to get some answers.

It is not a new question, but it is peppered with fresh relevance.

Over the course of a morning spent around a migrant camp in Dunkirk, we meet migrants from Gaza, Iraq, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond.

Some are fearful, waving us away; some are happy to talk. Very few are comfortable to be filmed.

All but one man – who says he’s come to the wrong place and actually wants to claim asylum in Paris – are intent on reaching Britain.

They see the calm seas, feel the light winds – perfect conditions for small boat crossings.

John has come here from South Sudan. He tells me he’s now 18 years old. He left his war-torn home nation just before his 16th birthday. He feels that reaching Britain is his destiny.

“England is my dream country,” he says. “It has been my dream since I was at school. It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.

“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”

John, a migrant from South Sudan, speaks to Sky News Adam Parsons
Image:
‘England is my dream country,’ John tells Adam Parsons

He says he would like to make a career in England, either as a journalist or in human resources, and, like many others we meet, is at pains to insist he will work hard.

The boat crossing is waved away as little more than an inconvenience – a trifle compared with the previous hardships of his journey towards Britain.

We meet a group of men who have all travelled from Gaza, intent on starting new lives in Britain and then bringing their families over to join them.

One man, who left Gaza two years ago, tells me that his son has since been shot in the leg “but there is no hospital for him to go to”.

Next to him, a man called Abdullah says he entered Europe through Greece and stayed there for months on end, but was told the Greek authorities would never allow him to bring over his family.

Britain, he thinks, will be more accommodating. “Gaza is being destroyed – we need help,” he says.

Abdullah, a migrant from Gaza, speaking to Sky's Adam Parsons
Image:
Abdullah says ‘Gaza is being destroyed – we need help’

A man from Eritrea tells us he is escaping a failing country and has friends in Britain – he plans to become a bicycle courier in either London or Manchester.

He can’t stay in France, he says, because he doesn’t speak French. The English language is presented as a huge draw for many of the people we talk to, just as it had been during similar conversations over the course of many years.

I ask many of these people why they don’t want to stay in France, or another safe European country.

Some repeat that they cannot speak the language and feel ostracised. Another says that he tried, and failed, to get a residency permit in both France and Belgium.

But this is also, clearly, a flawed survey. Last year, five times as many people sought asylum in France as in Britain.

And French critics have long insisted that Britain, a country without a European-style ID card system, makes itself attractive to migrants who can “disappear”.

Read more:
Channel crossings rise 50% in first six months of 2025
French police forced to watch on as migrants attempt crossing

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Migrant Channel crossings hit new record

A young man from Iraq, with absolutely perfect English, comes for a chat. He oozes confidence and a certain amount of mischief.

It has taken him only seven days to get from Iraq to Dunkirk; when I ask how he has made the trip so quickly, he shrugs. “Money talks”.

He looks around him. “Let me tell you – all of these people you see around you will be getting to Britain and the first job they get will be in the black market, so they won’t be paying any tax.

“Back in the day in Britain, they used to welcome immigrants very well, but these days I don’t think they want to, because there’s too many of them coming by boat. Every day it’s about seven or 800 people. That’s too many people.”

“But,” I ask, “if those people are a problem – then what makes you different? Aren’t you a problem too?”

He shakes his head emphatically. “I know that I’m a very good guy. And I won’t be a problem. I’ll only stay in Britain for a few years and then I’ll leave again.”

A young man from Iraq walks away from Sky's Adam Parsons

A man from Sri Lanka says he “will feel safe” when he gets to Britain; a tall, smiling man from Ethiopia echoes the sentiment: “We are not safe in our home country so we have come all this way,” he says. “We want to work, to be part of Britain.”

Emmanuel is another from South Sudan – thoughtful and eloquent. He left his country five years ago – “at the start of COVID” – and has not seen his children in all that time. His aim is to start a new life in Britain, and then to bring his family to join him.

He is a trained electrical engineer, but says he could also work as a lorry driver. He is adamant that Britain has a responsibility to the people of its former colony.

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

“The British came to my country – colonising, killing, raping,” he said. “And we didn’t complain. We let it happen.

“I am not the problem. I won’t fight anyone; I want to work. And if I break the laws – if any immigrant breaks the laws – then fine, deport them.

“I know it won’t be easy – some people won’t like me, some people will. But England is my dream.”

Continue Reading

UK

UK and France have ‘shared responsibility’ to tackle illegal migration, Emmanuel Macron says

Published

on

By

UK and France have 'shared responsibility' to tackle illegal migration, Emmanuel Macron says

Emmanuel Macron has said the UK and France have a “shared responsibility” to tackle the “burden” of illegal migration, as he urged co-operation between London and Paris ahead of a crunch summit later this week.

Addressing parliament in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday, the French president said the UK-France summit would bring “cooperation and tangible results” regarding the small boats crisis in the Channel.

Politics latest: Lord Norman Tebbit dies, aged 94

King Charles III at the State Banquet for President of France Emmanuel Macron. Pic: PA
Image:
King Charles III at the State Banquet for President of France Emmanuel Macron. Pic: PA

Mr Macron – who is the first European leader to make a state visit to the UK since Brexit – told the audience that while migrants’ “hope for a better life elsewhere is legitimate”, “we cannot allow our countries’ rules for taking in people to be flouted and criminal networks to cynically exploit the hopes of so many individuals with so little respect for human life”.

“France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness,” he added.

Looking ahead to the UK-France summit on Thursday, he promised the “best ever cooperation” between France and the UK “to fix today what is a burden for our two countries”.

Sir Keir Starmer will hope to reach a deal with his French counterpart on a “one in, one out” migrant returns deal at the key summit on Thursday.

King Charles also addressed the delegations at a state banquet in Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening, saying the summit would “deepen our alliance and broaden our partnerships still further”.

King Charles speaking at state banquet welcoming Macron.
Image:
King Charles speaking at state banquet welcoming Macron.

Sitting next to President Macron, the monarch said: “Our armed forces will cooperate even more closely across the world, including to support Ukraine as we join together in leading a coalition of the willing in defence of liberty and freedom from oppression. In other words, in defence of our shared values.”

In April, British officials confirmed a pilot scheme was being considered to deport migrants who cross the English Channel in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in France with legitimate claims.

The two countries have engaged in talks about a one-for-one swap, enabling undocumented asylum seekers who have reached the UK by small boat to be returned to France.

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈       

Britain would then receive migrants from France who would have a right to be in the UK, like those who already have family settled here.

The small boats crisis is a pressing issue for the prime minister, given that more than 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year – a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024.

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the Palace of Westminster during a state visit to the UK
Image:
President Macron greets Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle at his address to parliament in Westminster.

Elsewhere in his speech, the French president addressed Brexit, and said the UK could not “stay on the sidelines” despite its departure from the European Union.

He said European countries had to break away from economic dependence on the US and China.

Read more:
French police forced to watch on as migrants attempt crossing
Public finances in ‘relatively vulnerable position’, OBR warns

“Our two countries are among the oldest sovereign nations in Europe, and sovereignty means a lot to both of us, and everything I referred to was about sovereignty, deciding for ourselves, choosing our technologies, our economy, deciding our diplomacy, and deciding the content we want to share and the ideas we want to share, and the controversies we want to share.

“Even though it is not part of the European Union, the United Kingdom cannot stay on the sidelines because defence and security, competitiveness, democracy – the very core of our identity – are connected across Europe as a continent.”

Continue Reading

UK

In pictures: Princess of Wales, Elton John and Mick Jagger at King’s state banquet for Macron

Published

on

By

In pictures: Princess of Wales, Elton John and Mick Jagger at King's state banquet for Macron

The Princess of Wales and celebrities attended the King’s star-studded state banquet on Tuesday, where Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

On the first day of Mr Macron’s state visit, King Charles gave a toast in French and said the three-day trip was another chance to “celebrate a deep and enduring friendship”.

“What’s possibly the most remarkable thing is the way in which the speciality of one country is part of the story of the other,” the monarch said.

“For centuries, our citizens have admired one another. We’ve made each other laugh, and we’ve imitated one another.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales at the State Banquet for President of France Emmanuel Macron. Pic: PA
Image:
The Prince and Princess of Wales at the State Banquet. Pic: PA

The banquet hall at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA
Image:
The banquet hall at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA

The King makes a speech at a banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA
Image:
The King makes a speech at a banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA

King Charles looks at Emmanuel Macron at a state banquet at Windsor Castle
Image:
King Charles looks at Emmanuel Macron at a state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA

After the King’s speech, Mr Macron told him France had a “real affection for your mother” Queen Elizabeth II, adding he believed the feeling was “reciprocal”.

“She was your queen,” he said. “To us, she was the Queen.”

He capped off his speech – which repeated his calls for closer relations that he made earlier in the Palace of Westminster – by saying: “In honour of the United Kingdom, of this entente amico that unites our two fraternal peoples in an unwavering alliance.

“Long live the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland! Long live France!”

Emmanuel Macron gives a speech at a state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA
Image:
Emmanuel Macron gives a speech at a state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA

The Princess of Wales also made her first appearance at a state banquet in almost two years, sitting next to the French president.

She last made an appearance at a grand royal dinner in November 2023 in honour of the South Korean president. It comes after she opened up about her “rollercoaster” cancer recovery last week.

Emmanuel Macron and Kate, the Princess of Wales, share a toast. Pic: PA
Image:
Emmanuel Macron and Kate, the Princess of Wales, share a toast. Pic: PA

Also in attendance were Sir Mick Jagger, frontman of The Rolling Stones, who was joined by his fiancee Melanie Hamrick, and Sir Elton John, who was accompanied by his husband David Furnish.

Read more from Sky News:
Gregg Wallace reportedly sacked from MasterChef
Post Office scandal: At least 13 may have taken their own lives, inquiry finds
More than 160 people still missing after Texas floods

Mick Jagger taking his seat at the state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA
Image:
Mick Jagger taking his seat at the state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA

Elton John and David Furnish at the state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA SQUARE
Image:
Elton John and David Furnish at the state banquet at Windsor Castle. Pic: PA

Meanwhile, it was announced that the Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the Norman conquest of England, will return to the UK for the first time in more than 900 years, and will feature in an exhibition from September 2026 to July 2027.

Mr Macron joked ahead of the state banquet that negotiations to bring the 11th-century artwork back to the UK took longer “than all the Brexit tests”. Talks on a loan had started as early as 2018.

Continue Reading

Trending