[Source: BBC News]

Prince William’s conversation with Eugene Levy on the actor’s Apple TV show is revealing on many levels.

It has clarified his vision for his own reign once he becomes king, reinforced how stressful family life has been for him, and given us a few personal details about him we didn’t know before.

Traditionally, interviews with the Royal Family come around rarely, and when they happen, they are formal.

There is usually a room in a palace, set up with cameras and lights. The interviewer will likely be an experienced presenter or journalist. There would have been weeks of briefing notes and discussions about subject areas.

It is a tried and tested formula. But it is now clear this isn’t Prince William’s way.

Part of his openness here comes from the setting and the context. He is at home at Windsor, he’s on familiar territory, he’s walking his dog, he’s in the pub. William just seems more relaxed in that space and talks more freely.

The choice of interviewer matters too. He told the actor that he was a fan of his and had loved watching the American Pie films – the coming of age movies starring Levy as a long-suffering father.

There have been some eyebrows raised about revealing so much to a Hollywood actor rather than a more forensic interviewer.

There were no questions on his relationship with his brother, Harry, nothing on his view of Prince Andrew’s place in the royal family.

But even with those missing components, we still got something new and interesting.

William didn’t falter when asked about his children and about what kind of king he wants to be. He would have probably been more restrained and uptight if it hadn’t been Levy asking the questions.

It has always been clear that Prince William has his own take on his public role. “A smaller R in royal” is how he previously referred to it.

But the words “change is on my agenda” and not being “suffocated” by history make it very clear that he has a vision for monarchy that looks forward rather than back.

Those who work with the prince and his family are cautious about how those words are interpreted.

One palace staffer told me: “He’s not afraid to ask questions about how and why things are done. If the answer is because that’s how we’ve always done it, then he just won’t accept it.”

The Duchy of Cornwall – the financial portfolio that provides an income to the heir to the throne – is cited as an example of William going in and leaving “no stone unturned” in terms of how it is run and what needs changing.

There is new leadership there, a focus on social action, and a very involved prince.

One source told me that when he is king, William will be “deep in the roots of the management of Monarchy HQ”.

Don’t expect the big stuff to change dramatically. There will definitely be a coronation. Trooping the Colour and Remembrance Sunday will remain fixed and important parts of the royal year, and jubilees and big occasions will still be celebrated.

But William, as king, will have his own way of doing things.

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