The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to shield the future partners of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis from press intrusion by replicating the strict privacy agreements that protected them during their own university years, according to veteran broadcaster Simon Vigar.
Speaking exclusively to GB News ahead of the publication of his new book, The Four Wives of Windsor: The Inside Story of the Power Behind the Crown, the royal correspondent detailed how Prince William and Catherine will likely manage the public introduction of their children’s future spouses.
Mr Vigar, who has served as a royal reporter for Channel 5 since 1997, highlighted the successful media blackout that allowed the Prince of Wales to complete his studies at the University of St Andrews in relative peace.
He argued that the couple will seek identical protections once their children reach university age.
Mr Vigar exclusively told GB News: “The University of St Andrews was great for William and Catherine; the British media should get some credit here.
“The Gentleman’s Agreement to leave William alone at university did hold, and of course, it was a camera crew from a TV company owned by his uncle Edward – that was the only one that actually broke it.”
The September 2001 incident saw a film crew from Ardent Productions, a television company established by Prince Edward, ordered off the St Andrews campus after attempting to film the young prince.
The breach occurred just days into his first term, prompting an apology from the company, though it remained the sole major violation of the agreed media blackout.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to shield the future partners of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis from press intrusion by replicating the strict privacy agreements that protected them during their own university years
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GETTY
Looking ahead to when Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis begin their own higher education, Mr Vigar predicted similar arrangements will be strongly enforced.
He said: “In terms of when George, Charlotte and Louis complete university, once they’re in their 20s, I think it’ll be a similar deal, and privacy law is changing all the time. There will be similar conversations.
“I would have thought occasional public bust-ups as well about what can be printed about the people that we know are going out with the young royals… it’ll definitely develop.”
Mr Vigar linked this protective strategy to the Prince of Wales’s recent public statements regarding his future reign.
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In September 2001, a film crew from Ardent Productions, a television company established by Prince Edward, was ordered off the St Andrews campus after attempting to film Prince William
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PA
In an October 2025 interview for the Apple TV+ documentary series The Reluctant Traveler, Prince William told host Eugene Levy that “change is on my agenda” when he becomes king.
The prince specifically expressed a desire to protect his family from “insatiable” media scrutiny, noting he would do everything possible to ensure his children do not face the same intrusions he experienced.
“William dropped those big hints in the Apple documentary, talking actually about the changes that he wants to make,” Mr Vigar added. “I put money on that being one of them.”
He further cited the Princess of Wales’s own gradual integration into royal life as the blueprint the family will follow.
In an October 2025 interview for the Apple TV+ documentary series The Reluctant Traveler, Prince William told host Eugene Levy that ‘change is on my agenda’ when he becomes king
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Before their engagement, Catherine faced intense media scrutiny as a royal girlfriend, most notably on her 25th birthday in January 2007.
Dozens of paparazzi photographers and television crews camped outside the Chelsea apartment she shared with her sister, Pippa, resulting in chaotic scenes as she attempted to reach her car.
“It did work with Catherine, the slow introduction into royal life,” Mr Vigar concluded.
“There was security when she was with William, but when she was on her own at the Middleton family flat in Chelsea with her sister, there were worrying scenes outside with lots of photographers sometimes, but mostly it worked.”