Prince William also shares his concerns over discrimination and hate
The Duke of Cambridge has said it would be ‘absolutely fine’ if any of his children identify as LGBTQ in the future. The second in line to the throne did admit, however, that he worries about potential discrimination should George, Charlotte and Louis identify as gay, bisexual or transgender in the years to come.
Prince William’s comments came as he visited the Albert Kennedy Trust in London. The charity, also known as AKT, supports young people who have been made homeless because of their sexuality.
He was asked by a man being helped by AKT how he would react if, at some time in the future, one of his children said they were gay or lesbian. The prince replied that ”obviously, absolutely fine by me” before sharing that it is an issue that he and the Duchess of Cambridge have been considering. William went on to add ”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 have been doing a lot of talking about it to make sure they were prepared.”
And he opened up over his concerns, saying “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 Duke of Cambridge also said ”How many barriers you know, hateful words, persecution, all that and discrimination that might come, that’s the bit that really troubles me. But that’s for all of us to try and help correct and make sure we can put that to the past and not come back to that sort of stuff.”
During his visit, the Duke of Cambridge also condemned a recent homophobic attack on a lesbian couple on a bus in London, saying he was ”really appalled” by the incident.
William’s remarks were made during his visit to AKT’s new centre in Hoxton which he officially opened. He also met many of those being helped by the charity as well as support workers and he heard about several of their programmes and initiatives.
The Duke of Cambridge’s comments have been widely and warmly welcomed by many in the LGBTQ community with Tim Sigsworth, Chief Executive of AKT, saying William’s words would make a ”massive difference”.
