'Prince William showed me his true colours with one request before visit to Blackpool'

'Prince William showed me his true colours with one request before visit to Blackpool' Lord Simon Case, who served as Prince William's private secretary from 2018 to 2020, has spoken about how the Prince's one key request before a Blackpool visit showed his determination to witness real life in Britain's most deprived communities. Prince William's 'request' ahead of a trip to Blackpool revealed the kind of royal he aspired to be, according to his former private secretary Lord Simon Case. Speaking to Gordon Rayner for The Telegraph, the former Cabinet Secretary looked back on his two years working alongside William between 2018 and 2020, painting a picture of a royal who was intent on avoiding meticulously staged appearances and instead wished to see the realities confronting communities throughout Britain. Lord Case said William actively encouraged his team to challenge him beyond the conventional royal schedule. "He felt it was really important to be exposed to every part of life," he said, suggesting it was likely something "his mother instilled in him and his brother at a young age." According to Lord Case, that approach informed one especially noteworthy engagement in Blackpool, reports Wales Online. Rather than arranging the kind of visit typically linked with members of the Royal Family, William sought to spend time in one of the nation's most disadvantaged areas to gain a deeper appreciation of the challenges people encountered. "We were really going to go somewhere where it wasn't going to be rope lines of waving Union Jacks," Lord Case said. He said Blackpool was deliberately selected due to its social and economic struggles, including a substantial population of ex-offenders and neighbourhoods grappling with a challenging economic outlook. The visit also included witnessing first-hand the living conditions endured by many local residents. Lord Case recalled that local officials were eager to spruce up some of the accommodation ahead of William's arrival, clearing away evidence of drug use and other signs of deprivation. William, however, insisted that nothing should be concealed. "There was this great temptation for people locally to go in and clean up all of the used needles and things like that that were sort of all over the floors of some of the housing." Lord Case said the response from William's team was swift and decisive. "No, no, don't do that. It's actually really important that they see what life is actually like." Reflecting on his broader experience working alongside William, Lord Case said the Prince consistently sought out situations that would challenge his own outlook, rather than simply attending comfortable public engagements. He said: "That's what I found was an openness to being pushed." He continued: "Push sounds like it was the staff doing it to him, but this openness of, 'No, no. Take me somewhere, challenge me.'" Elsewhere during the interview, Lord Case described William as personable, approachable and someone who genuinely valued those working around him. He said: "He was very personable behind closed doors, very relaxed, really caring about the team, but also very open to challenge and really wanted a real team ethos." Lord Case held the position of William's private secretary from July 2018 until August 2020, before subsequently taking on the role of Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.