Prince William left Eugene Levy stunned after making an unexpected appearance on the Canadian actor’s travel show.
The Schitt’s Creek star had “no idea” that the future king would be the one showing him around Windsor Castle for the latest series of Apple TV+ programme The Reluctant Traveller.
“I found out on camera when we were shooting the episode,” Levy, 78, told NBC’s Today with Jenna & Friends.
“We were trying to experience as much of the monarchy as possible – shopping where they shop, visiting the places they frequent – and suddenly the guy giving me a tour of Windsor Castle turned out to be the Prince of Wales. It was a total surprise.”
The episode, entitled Living The Royal Life In The UK, premieres on Friday, October 3. It sees Prince William greet Levy in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle while arriving on an electric scooter. At one point he jokes: “We provide this service for everyone. We do personalised tours everywhere.”
Producers edited the sequence to look as though Levy had been formally invited, with a letter on Kensington Palace stationery shown on screen. In reality, the actor admitted he was caught completely off guard and even avoided addressing the prince directly.
“I didn’t bow. I didn’t really know what to call him off camera. I knew it wasn’t going to be Billy… or Willy. So I probably just avoided calling him anything,” he joked.
After walking through the castle’s historic rooms, the pair headed out with William’s dog before stopping at a local pub for a pint. Asked what he enjoys doing at home, the prince laughed: “Sleep. When you have three small children, sleep is an important part of my life.”
The episode also captures more reflective moments. In the trailer, William acknowledges that 2024 has been “the hardest year I’ve ever had,” saying: “Life is said to test us, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are.”
Both King Charles and the Princess of Wales were diagnosed with cancer last year, with Charles still undergoing treatment and Kate completing a preventative chemotherapy course in September.
Levy also asks if he misses his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. “I do actually, yeah,” William replies. “I miss my grandmother, and my grandfather. It’s been quite a bit of change. Particularly being in Windsor – for me Windsor is her. She loved it here, she spent most of her time here.
“Showing you around today is very much a case of trying to make sure I’m doing it in the way she’d want you to see it.”
Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral in September 2022 aged 96, just over a year after the death of Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.
