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When William Told Diana He Didn’t Want to Be King, Harry Had the Cheekiest Response

The prince has had a change of heart since his younger days, it seems...

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Much of the world expects Prince William to be crowned king one day — but that might not have been the case had the then-teenage royal had his way. In fact, we might have ended up with Prince Harry on the throne! 

British journalist Jeremy Paxman shared a conversation he had with Princess Diana shortly before her death, and the details are just too cute. “About a year before she died, her secretary rang me up and asked me to lunch. I’ve no idea why. She was stunningly glamorous, as you can imagine,” Paxman began. “We talked about our children, and she said William often told her that he didn’t really want to be king, and then Harry would say, ‘If you don’t want the job I’ll have it!'”

These days, the father of three has more or less accepted his future role. “I don’t lie awake waiting to be king, because sadly that means that my family will have moved on and I don’t want that,” he told BBC News

But until that day, Prince William’s primary focus is raising his family. “I’m concentrating very much on my role as a father,” he said in 2016 right before Charlotte’s first birthday. “I’m a new father and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously, and I want to bring my children up as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important.” For Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, that means not telling George he’s going to be king, too. 

Prince Harry has infamously changed his mind since his cheeky response as a child. He and wife Meghan took a step back from royal duties, but it’s not the first time the prince has expressed similar sentiments. In 2017 interview with Newsweek, the Duke of Sussex pondered, “Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time.”

But no matter who’s on the throne — be it William, Harry, or even George — we know they’ll rule kindness and compassion.

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