Advertisement

Prince William: It would be 'absolutely fine by me' if George, Charlotte or Louis were LGBT

The Duke of Cambridge has said he will support his three children if they identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in the future, insisting he would "fully support whatever decisions they make".

During a visit to a charity that helps LGBT homeless young people, the Duke said that it would be “absolutely fine by me” if Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, four, or one-year-old Prince Louis later identified as LGBT.

He also spoke of his fears about a “backlash”, admitting he would be nervous about any “hate” and “persecution” they might face because of their position in the Royal Family.

"I’d fully support whatever decisions they make," he said. "It worries me how many barriers, persecution and hate they’d face. But that’s for all of us to try and correct.”

Meeting young people who have faced homelessness and mental issues as a result of their sexuality, he emphasised how important it is for families to support their children whatever their sexuality.

He also spoke of being left "appalled" by the recent homophobic attack on a London bus, underlining how shocking it is that "stuff like that still happens".

One of the young people he met said afterwards: "To hear him say 'I’d support my own children if they were in the LGBT community' was great, and to hear how much awareness he has of how difficult things are, and the awareness he has of the suicide issue, which is a massive, massive issue for the community.  To know that someone that important has your back is huge."

Prince William and Prince Louis, who is one - Credit: Kensington Palace
Prince William and Prince Louis, who is one Credit: Kensington Palace

The Duke was officially opening a new services centre for akt [Albert Kennedy Trust], in Hoxton, east London this morning, taking part in a group conversation with several young people who are currently being supported by the charity.

One young man, who is gay and asked not to be identified by name, asked the Duke:  “If your child one day in the future said ‘oh I’m gay, oh I’m lesbian’ whatever, how would you react?”

Prince William replied:  “Do you know what, I’ve been giving that some thought recently because a couple of other parents said that to me as well.

"I think you really don’t start thinking about that until you are a parent, and I think: obviously absolutely fine by me.

He went on to admit: “The one thing I’d be worried about is how they – particularly the roles my children fill – is how that is going to be interpreted and seen.

“So Catherine and I where doing a lot of talking about it to make sure they were prepared.

"I think communication is so important with everything, in order to help understand it you’ve got to talk a lot about stuff and make sure how to support each other and how to go through the process.

“It worries me, not because of them being gay, it worries me as to how everyone else will react and perceive it and then the pressure is then on them.”

The Cambridge family - Credit: Getty
The Cambridge family Credit: Getty

The Duke also took part in a group discussion with several akt ambassadors: young people who have been supported by the charity and now mentor others using its services.

Faz Bukhari, 28, from east London, experienced problems at home from the age of 24 when he began to identify as transgender, finding support and accommodation through the charity’s Purple Door refuge scheme.

Reiterating the earlier conversation, he asked William:  “You coming here is a great opportunity and platform, what would you think about it if one your children was LGBT?”

The Duke said:  “I’ve only started thinking about it since I've had children. It is something I’m nervous about, not because I'm worried about them being gay or anything.

"It's more about the fact I'm worried about the pressure - as you all know - they're going to face and how much harder their life could be.

"So from a parent point of you, that's the angle I worry about.

"I wish we lived in a world where, like you said Faz, it's really normal and cool. But particularly for my family and the position that we are in, that's the bit I'm nervous about.

"I support whatever decision they make, but it does worry me from a parent's point of view how many barriers, hateful words, persecution and discrimination that might come. That's the bit that troubles me a little bit.

"That's for all of us to try and help correct, to put that in the past and not come back to that sort of stuff."

During his conversation with the charity’s ambassadors, he also joked about the Attitude magazine cover he did in 2016.

“I did my Attitude magazine cover which was a good day.  But I’d seen some of the previous front covers and I was a bit nervous about what they might ask me to do,” he laughed.

The Duke of Cambridge at akt - Credit: Reuters
The Duke of Cambridge at akt Credit: Reuters

“Thankfully there were no small briefs for me!”

After the chat, Faz said:  “I thought his answer was so good, to hear him talk about having fears about what people might think of his children and how they might take to them, if they were identified as LGBT.

"That he recognises that, and is aware there could be a backlash, he understands the issues and hopefully with his comments we can get more awareness across to more parents of the issues.”

During his visit, the Duke spoke of how “stifling” many young people find the burden of coming out to their families and also of his concerns about young LGBT people taking their own lives.

"It’s a real pressure to live under,” he said during a conversation with Cath Hall, akt’s founder.

“I’ve been looking into issues around suicide and I imagine that the figures in the LGBT community are high, because of all the barriers and stigma around acceptance.”

Prince William meets akt ambassadors - Credit: Reuters
Prince William meets akt ambassadors Credit: Reuters

Another young person using akt’s services who spoke with William was Claire Evans, 26, from Newcastle, who came out to her parents as a lesbian aged 16, which caused friction at home as her parents were not initially accepting.

She came across akt when she was 22, and the charity helped her deal with tensions with her parents, and later also supported her when she lost both her father to cancer in 2015 and her mother in 2017.

She told the Duke: “It is so difficult, with family members, who aren’t always accepting and it’s hard to know where to go, so akt has been like a family to so many of us.  There is often the feeling that you can’t turn to anyone, and you feel isolated.”

“Did some of you find it hard coming to terms with who you are?" the Duke asked young people. "Was it daunting, worrying about society possibly judging you?”

Bridie Honour, 22, who identifies as non-binary, told him:  “There’s a massive stigma around homelessness and LGBT and it brings a lot of mental health issues as you come to terms with who you are. I was badly bullied at school, people told me they didn’t want to be around me.

Prince William unveils a plaque at akt - Credit: Reuters
Prince William unveils a plaque at akt Credit: Reuters

"Even now, walking down the street holding my partner’s hand, I get nasty comments from older people, I’ve been spat at. Akt gives you so much support with all of that.

Shaking his head, the Duke said:  “I’m so sad for you guys that persecution like that is still there. Things have progressed, but not nearly as much as they need to.”

The second-in-line to the throne also told the group how shocked he had been by the recent bus attack on the lesbian couple in London.

“I was really appalled by that attack,” he said. “That stuff like that still happens.”

After the visit, Claire said:  “It was fantastic to get his input, and hear him relating to his own life. He’s under a lot of pressure, being in the spotlight.  To hear him say 'I’d support my own children if they were in the LGBT community' was great, and to hear how much awareness he has of how difficult things are, and the awareness he has of the suicide issue, which is a massive, massive issue for the community.  To know that someone that important has your back is huge.”

Prince William and Harry learned about homelessness during visits to The Passage with their mother Diana
Prince William and Harry learned about homelessness during visits to The Passage with their mother Diana

The Duke was visiting akt’s new headquarters in Hoxton ahead of the annual Pride in London parade next weekend and to mark  the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.

As patron of the homelessness charities Centrepoint and The Passage, he also heard more about LGBT issues and youth homelessness, and the work undertaken by akt through its “prevention and early action” approach.

Akt is the national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity, providing safe homes and better futures for LGBTQ+ young people. Almost one quarter of the 150,000 young people facing or experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, and 77 per cent of those cite rejection or abuse from their families as what has led them to being so.

At the end of the visit, William unveiled a plaque, formally opening akt’s new services centre in Hoxton which hosts drop-in sessions for young people.

After the visit, akt’s chief executive, Tim Sigswort, said:  “I was incredibly impressed. I was first impressed by his level of knowledge already but his empathy and appreciation of the struggles and challenges faced by LGBT people was incredible to me.

“And just his willingness to learn from the young people, his willingness to challenge his own perceptions and his willingness to come out in support of LGBT people in such a personal way as to refer to his children - that will make a massive difference.

Mr Sigswort, who is gay, said:  “I was personally rejected by my mum, and the idea that the future monarch is saying they would support their children if they came out as LGBT is a message to the whole of society really, a message that we need to support and we need to empower LGBT people.”