Entertainment

20 Times Prince William Proved He's Not a Stick-in-the-Mud

EntertainmentPublished May 29, 2020
By Martha Sorren
Prince WilliamPeter Byrne - WPA Pool/Getty Images

As someone who one day will be king, there is a level of decorum and composure that Prince William must keep. (One day, he'll represent the people of Britain, after all.) But even though he definitely has that stiff upper lip that many British men have, he's been known to let his metaphorical hair down every once in a while. He is Princess Diana's son, and that predisposes Prince William to not being a total stick-in-the-mud.

His brother, Prince Harry, got a lot more of the mischievous genes -- sometimes to Harry's great embarrassment -- but Prince William is known to have fun of his own every now and again. And when he's not making important speeches, or standing quietly at royal events, he can even be quite funny in a dad joke kind of way.

Having children definitely seems to have mellowed Will out a bit. It's hard to take life so seriously when a gaggle of kids is running around being silly; it's much more fun to just join in. In fact, while the family has been staying home, Kate has reportedly been handling homeschool duty, while William makes himself useful organizing games for the children. (Kate kinda got the short end of the stick there.) Will has been helping with gymnastics lessons, baking, and more to help keep the kids occupied during this tough time.

Although the prince has always been able to bust out a joke or two when talking to the press, he's lightened up a lot since having three kids, and these days, he's been extra friendly on the royal couple's Zoom videos. 

Prince William has got this fun prince thing down, and here are 20 times he let loose to prove it.

1/20

Joking About Why Kate Likes Him

From the outset of his relationship with Kate, William made it clear that the two of them shared a similar sense of humor. During their engagement interview, he joked that Kate agreed to marry him because "I'm obviously extremely funny and she loves that." She gave a genuine laugh at the joke, and that's how we know they're meant to be.

2/20

Eating All the Easter Chocolate

For Easter in 2020, Kate and Will had a video chat with some local students and teachers. Will joked that there was going to be a lot of chocolate eating over the holiday -- seemingly referring to his three children indulging in sweets. But Kate quickly called him out: "You keep eating it!" We love the image of William sneaking into his kids' candy stash and taking some for himself.

3/20
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Channeling His Inner Harry Potter
Paul Rogers - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Channeling His Inner Harry Potter

In 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Warner Bros. Studios where they got to test out some wands from Harry Potter. Will may have been a bit older than most Potter fans when the books and movies came out, but no one is ever too old to have a magic wand duel. They really got into it, showing the fun side to the royal family.

4/20

Dance Time

A 2012 tour of the small island of Tuvalu gave William a chance to work on his dancing skills. The locals greeted the royals with a welcome party -- complete with traditional dancing -- and both Will and Kate gave the moves a try. Kate stunned (as always), but the prince was not what we'd call a natural on the dance floor. 

Still, he definitely gets an A for effort.

5/20
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Snowball Fight
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Snowball Fight

They may be parents of three, but Will and Kate still take time to play and make each other laugh. A ski trip to the French Alps soon devolved into a snowball fight brought on not by their children, but by the duke and duchess themselves. (They haven't lost that childish nature within them, that's for sure.) It helps that they both have that spirited side to joke around together.

6/20

Acting in a Comedy Sketch

Prince William teamed up with actor and comedian Stephen Fry for a funny BBC skit to help raise money and thank frontline workers. In the silly video, he makes a joke about the Netflix show Tiger King, and how he doesn't watch shows about royalty. William even kids around about not wearing pants while on Zoom video calls. The video really showed a fun side of the prince.

7/20

Playing Bingo

Kate joined Will to call out bingo numbers for residents and workers at a care facility. The game was designed to take everyone's minds off things for a while, and it certainly worked. It was so cute to see Will call out the various numbers -- like "two little ducks, 22," and "17, dancing queen." At one point, Prince William asked if they were calling the numbers badly, which prompted a laugh from everyone.

8/20
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Playtime With Prince Harry
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Playtime With Prince Harry

Prince Harry and Prince William haven't been on the best of terms lately, but they once did have a lot of brotherly fun together. In 2016, they got to visit the Stars Wars sets and even had a lightsaber battle. Between this and the Harry Potter wand, Will sure does enjoy playing with toys. We hope Will and Harry can get back to this happy point some day.

9/20
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Hugging Chewbacca
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Hugging Chewbacca

It wouldn't have been a complete tour of the Star Wars sets without a hug from a Wookie, right? Wills got right up in there with Chewbacca, showing that the prince has a real silly side to him. Can anyone imagine his father, Prince Charles, hugging a Wookie? No. By that measure, Prince George may turn out to be even goofier than his own dad. Each generation of royals lightens up a bit.

10/20

Galloping Good Time

What was Prince William to do when a little girl asked him to do his best gallop during the 2017 Royal Variety Performance? Gallop, of course. The whole audience erupted when he mimicked a horse running. (Even Kate got a good chuckle out of it.) Kids sure do bring out the child in all of us -- especially Prince William. 

He really is his mother's son.

11/20

Celebrating a Sports Win

Prince William's royal composure went out the window here as his soccer -- or football as they call it overseas -- team scored a major victory. He is literally jumping up and down and screaming. (He's so excited!) So if ever we want to see William let his hair down a bit, we just have to catch him right after his team does really well. That's when he becomes just like any other sports fan.

12/20
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Joking About the Queen
Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Joking About the Queen

Queen Elizabeth may be the monarch, but to William, she's also his gran -- so she's fair game for a little joking here and there. On a recent trip to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Will recalled the time that the Queen had gone there herself in 2011. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you it is not often that I find myself following the Queen to a pub," he joked. 

Har, har, har. We love it.

13/20

Father of the Year

This photo was originally posted to the Cambridges' Instagram page for Mother's Day, and we can see William in the background playing with George. The parents seem to be doing some sort of piggyback race here, and everyone looks to be having a grand time. Having children requires a lot of energy, so it's a good thing that Will knows how to let loose.

14/20

Balancing Act

In early 2019, William checked out a local youth activity center dedicated to helping children by giving them a safe space to grow, play, and develop life skills. While there, the prince tried his hand at balancing on a log. The only stick-in-the-mud here is the one Will was standing on. We love all the people ready to catch him in case he falls. 

He is precious royal cargo after all.

15/20
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Pourin' a Pint
Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

Pourin' a Pint

Knocking back a beer or two is definitely a way to let loose, and William got into the drinking spirit while in Belfast, Ireland. The Irish are known for pouring beers perfectly and drinking them even better, and Will certainly seems to have the foam to liquid ratio down here. Kate is so proud of him in the background. 

What a fun event for the adult royals.

16/20
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Poking Fun at Kate
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Poking Fun at Kate

The couple that jokes together stays together. Just like Kate can tease William for eating the Easter candy, he can tease her right back. On a holiday trip to the Royal Air Force base, the prince joked that the Duchess of Cambridge blended right in with the scenery. "My wife's camouflaged against the tree," he said to uproarious laughter. 

And she most certainly was in her pretty olive blazer.

17/20
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Proud Parent
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Proud Parent

One might think that being a royal means being on best behavior all the time, but Will is quick to show he's just a regular parent like the rest of us -- and takes joy in seeing other parents struggle just like he does with his own kids. That was particularly evident when he dropped George off for his first day at school and then told the press, "It went well. There was one other parent who had more of an issue with their children -- so I was quite pleased I wasn't the one." 

We get it.

18/20
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Doing the Wave
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Doing the Wave

Will is a sports enthusiast through and through -- from celebrating a big win to doing the wave with the crowd. He and Kate both joined in on the arena staple, "the wave," during the Paralympic Games in 2012. They look pretty dorky here, but it's also clear that they're having a ton of fun. We love to see the royals let down their hair a bit and mess around.

19/20

Circus Act

On a visit to Ireland in 2020, the prince tried his hand at juggling. He was at an event for the Galway Circus, so what better time to try his hand at the circus act? Maybe if he ever steps back from royal life -- like Prince Harry -- William can run away and join the circus. Only kidding, but it was fun to watch him toss around the juggling balls.

20/20
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Dad Jokes for Days
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Dad Jokes for Days

We get the feeling that William is the kind of guy who made dad jokes long before he was a dad. But now that he has three kids, he's totally justified in his cheesy sense of humor. One of our favorites is the joke Prince William told about his dance skills while chatting with a local street dancer. 

"No break dancing [for me]. If I were to break dance, I'd literally break myself!" the prince said.

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