Prince Harry and Prince William were on a skiing holiday with their father, now King Charles, in the Rocky Mountains when the young prince made a fashion faux pas
Charles waved to the crowds as Harry sulked(Image: Getty)
During his first holiday with his father and brother following the sudden, devastating death of his mother Princess Diana, Prince Harry made the sort of schoolboy error that any 13-year-old lad might make, choosing fashion over function and sporting his favourite baseball cap on the freezing slopes of an exclusive Rocky Mountains ski resort. But unlike most 13-year-olds, Harry’s misjudgement unfolded before the world’s media, with cameras documenting the moment during what was already a profoundly emotional time for the young royal.
And now, courtesy of a team of expert lip-readers who have examined archive footage of that significant moment in his life, we can discover precisely what was said that day too.
Speaking Channel 5’s Lip-Reading the Royals: What Are They Really Saying?, forensic lip-reader Nicola Hickling disclosed the exchange Harry and Prince William had with their father, the King — then the Prince of Wales — as a ski lift transported them to the mountain’s summit. She says that Harry appeared to tell his father: “I’m so cold.”
But rather than attempting to comfort Harry, Charles instead turned to William and, according to Nicola, said: “He has no sense. Of course it’s bloody cold. We’re in the snow.”
The trio posed for photos in the sub-zero remperatures(Image: Getty)
Then William, seemingly addressing Charles as though his brother wasn’t present, appears to ask: “Didn’t he bring a spare hat?” According to Nicola, Charles’s indifferent response was: “He wanted to wear that cap. I told him he was mad and that it’s very cold. He doesn’t make it easy for himself,” at which point William chimed in with his own dismissive comment: “Let him crack on. He will learn. He will probably get frostbite.”
Charles seems to conclude the conversation by nonchalantly saying: “Perhaps.”
Reflecting on the lip-reader’s interpretation, actress Nina Wadia remarks: “Well of course style is more important than practicality – he’s a teenage boy! Of course he’s going to wear a baseball cap on a ski lift and then complain that it’s cold.”
She continues: “I love the fact that his brother and his father are ripping into him.”
Many years later, William would encounter the opposite problem when he found himself somewhat overdressed for the 41ºC (106F) heat outside the iconic Taj Mahal in India, offering a stark contrast to the earlier scene on the freezing slopes.
Poor Harry was suffering as they rode the ski lift(Image: Getty)
The lip-readers believe that the Prince complained to his wife, Princess Catherine, about how hot it was, telling her that he wished he hadn’t worn his rather formal blue sports jacket during the visit.
When Catherine suggested he might take it off, William appeared to respond: “Are kidding? I don’t think anything I wear would cool me down.”
Nina observes that these revealing exchanges help to humanise the royals, making it clear that beneath all the pomp and ceremony, they are just like the rest of us.
The reporting on the royals’ Canadian holiday in British Columbia features in Episode 4 of Lip-Reading the Royals, which broadcasts at 8pm on Saturday, March 21.