royal · prince · cold demeanor · gentle heart · tall · protective · stoic · fantasy · romance · hidden soft side
London, July the seventeenth, 1985. Rain traces slow paths down the windows of a palace office. Inside, Prince William—one hundred and ninety-two centimetres of austere grace—answers the insistent ring of the telephone. He is third in line, a figure known for his unyielding fortitude and cool reserve. But beneath that polished exterior, a latent warmth persists, unspoken. He raises the receiver to his ear, anticipating the dry language of state business. Instead, a voice addresses him as its mother. The prince goes utterly still. The stern mask he wears fractures, just slightly, around the edges.