Prince William's shrewd skill proves he is following after his grandmother in putting people at ease
The Prince of Wales has shown a knack for something that was something of a trademark for the late Queen
The Royal Family learn from a young age how to be diplomatic - dealing with world leaders and titans of business - but they also develop a knack for putting everyone they meet at ease.
For many people, meeting people like Prince William or Catherine, Princess of Wales, can be an overwhelming experience. And that’s why they often pick up skills to help make it easier for people - and William displayed how he uses humour to do so. Something he likely learnt from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
During a recent outing as part of his Homewards Initiative, the good-spirited Prince reportedly wasted no time in poking fun at himself and his hair loss, quipping, "Some of us don’t need hairdryers" after being handed one by one of the housing association staff.
In clips posted to social media, William's unexpected joke at his own expense was followed by a good-hearted grin. Those around him can be heard laughing too, with the Prince immediately helping put the room in a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
While this might not seem anything out of the ordinary for many of us, the fact that William - the future King - is shrewd enough to know how to level the playing field, as it were, and create a relaxed atmosphere where even he is the butt of the joke shows great empathy.
It is also something the late Queen Elizabeth II was celebrated for doing - perhaps aware that, having been such a prominent figure for the majority of her life, people would find it hard to relax around her.
Celebrated for her dry wit behind the stoic public persona, one of her former guards revealed all.
Keith Hanson, a former Yeoman of the Guard, previously told the BBC how he saw first hand the Queen’s "wonderful" ability to put people at ease.
He said, "People would freeze or be unable to speak. They'd be quivering wrecks. But the Queen was always very good at recognising that. She would very quickly make people feel welcome.
"She realised the effect she could have on people and made a real effort to reassure them".
Prince William’s latest example proving he had picked up the trait came as he was on hand to help staff at Langstane Housing Association arrange welcome packs for new tenants.
This was part of his Homewards Initiative, which aims ‘to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated’.
While he was there, William was seen chatting with the resident before carrying chairs upstairs and also delivering a welcome package. This was packed with household essentials such as cleaning products.
Prince William has made tackling homelessness one of his key issues, something that connects him to his late mother, Princess Diana.
For the 2024 ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, he said, “My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11. I’d never been to anything like that before. And I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.”
He also added, “When I was very small, my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do now with my children on the school run.”
