‘That p***ed him off’: Friend reveals what really annoyed Prince William after Verbier ski trip controversy
Criticism of Prince William’s notorious skiing holiday to Verbier really “p****d him off”, a friend has said.
The Duke of Cambridge made headlines in March 2017 after missing a Commonwealth service to hit the slopes and clubs of the glitzy Swiss resort.
During the trip William was filmed “dad dancing” in a night club along to 1990s hit “I Got 5 On It” by US hip-hop duo Luniz.
The Duke of Cambridge was slammed for being the only senior royal to miss the service at Westminster Abbey.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, a friend of the duke said the trip came at a time where William worked as an air ambulance pilot and was facing criticism for not showing commitment to his job as a royal.
“That p****d him off. He was leaving home at 5.30am, getting home after dark and saving lives in between, but people were still being critical of his commitment to his [other] job,” the friend said.
William was based at Cambridge airport with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) where he was on call for “some very sad, dark moments”, the friend said, often working “on very traumatic jobs involving children”.
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A source close to the duke told the paper that he had to fight his corner for the air ambulance role.
“There were lots of raised eyebrows in the Palace when he wanted to do that,” the source said.
“While the Queen and his father backed him, some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people.”
The source added that some palace officials thought William “wouldn’t stick it out” but he was “determined that other people’s expectations in the media or the system shouldn’t get in the way of his own values.”
After two years in the role, William left the EAAA in July 2017 to take on more royal duties.
The revelation comes after a tumultuous two weeks for the duke after he defended the royal family against racism claims made by his sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan Markle claimed a senior royal had “concerns” about her son’s skin colour during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Asked by a reporter during a visit to School21 in Stratford, east London, if the Royal Family is a racist family, the duke replied: “We are very much not a racist family.”
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