Prince William has become a TikTok sensation after a college student captured him apologizing for being late on camera.
The 42-year-old royal traveled to Ulster University belfast City Campus Center and I met young people who were going to enter the creative sector.
He then ran into student Samantha Johnson, who asked him if he could explain on camera why he would be late for class.
On TikTok, Samantha said: ‘Yes, tell him why we’re late! Just say sorry,” before William asked: “To Lesley? Are you recording?
To which the student responded: “Yes.”
William then said, ‘Lesley, I’m so sorry we’re late, but they seem to be aware and wouldn’t believe you were here, so just say hello.’
Samantha then thanked William for helping prove to her professor that she met the future King.
He claimed in another video that he “missed half of his lecture” because of Prince William’s security guards.
William met up with student Samantha Johnson, who asked him if he could explain on camera why he would be late for class.
The clip has already racked up 1.2 million views on the platform, with many commenting on their opinions on the clip.
One wrote: “William is generally the nicest person ever,” to which Samantha replied: “I completely changed my perspective on him after meeting him, he’s so nice.”
Another wrote: “Interactions with royalty are becoming less serious and I love that for them.”
A third said: “I would send this every time I take a sick day or pto (paid time off).”
A fourth commented: ‘I thought they weren’t allowed to do that kind of thing with selfie cameras!!!’
To which Samantha said: “They’re not lol, I got really lucky.”
But this isn’t the first time William and his wife Kate have wowed audiences with their friendly, down-to-earth approach.
In May last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales were all smiles as they posed for selfies with well-wishers outside the Dog and Duck pub in central London.
William’s effortless indulgence towards fans asking him for selfies and videos signals another step towards a more personable approach to royal engagements.
The royal traveled to the University of Ulster’s Belfast City Campus Center and met young people set to enter the creative sector.
Samantha then thanked William for helping prove to her professor that she met the future King.
Although there is no official protocol regarding selfies, the royals have a rule against signing autographs, so they cannot be sold for large amounts of money.
And in the early days of camera phones, they seemed to avoid being photographed with members of the public, with Princes William, Harry and King Charles expressing their distaste for the method.
However, in recent years, they have become commonplace: Charles posed for his first selfie in 2014, and other royals, from Sophie Wessex to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, followed suit.
Yesterday William traveled to the state-of-the-art Virtual Production Studio at Ulster University’s Belfast City Campus Centre, to meet students learning about innovative technologies where a virtual set is created and displayed on LED walls.
And he had fun posing on a motorcycle model and playing with the cameras.
However, he also faced boos and jeers as he left the City Campus Center after his visit.
He smiled and waved while the students shouted ardently in the background.
William recorded a video message for the friend of a student who missed his visit to the University of Ulster’s Belfast City Campus Centre.
Prince William faced jeers and jeers as he left Ulster University’s Belfast City Central Campus after a visit this afternoon.
Video shared on unknown Belfast Telegraph reporter Kurtis Reid showed the royal facing a “unwarm reaction” as he walked to a car.
There also appeared to be shouts demanding more action from the future King on “Palestine and Gaza,” and the social media clip ended with chants of “Free Palestine.”
In February, William called for an end to the fighting in Gaza in an unprecedented royal intervention, writing that the “terrible human cost” of the conflict had caused “too many deaths.”
“I, like so many others, want to see the fighting end as soon as possible,” the Prince said.
He also highlighted the desperate need for more humanitarian support for Gaza civilians and called on Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
Yesterday, William also met up with Belfast-born actor James Martin, the first person with Down syndrome to win an Academy Award after starring in An Irish Goodbye, to discuss the growing success of the sector in Northern Ireland and how Studio Ulster will help further strengthen the country’s reputation as a global creative leader.
Over the past decade, the university has helped grow the creative industries sector in Northern Ireland, which is estimated to contribute £1.4 billion to the local economy and employ more than 24,000 people.
The future King clearly had fun posing on a model motorcycle and playing with the cameras.
Over the past decade, the university has helped grow the creative industries sector in Northern Ireland, which is estimated to contribute £1.4 billion to the local economy and employ more than 24,000 people.
William sat down with Belfast-born actor James Martin to discuss the growing success of the sector in Northern Ireland and how Studio Ulster will help further strengthen the country’s reputation as a global creative leader.
William subsequently took part in a training workshop with young people from two local community groups who are being taught how to operate software used in game creation, animation and virtual production.
His day began with a meeting with partners involved in the Homewards program, which he founded in a bid to address homelessness.
The pledge was designed to explore how local projects can be “scaled up” to help prevent youth leaving the foster care system from becoming homeless.
Northern Ireland is one of six Homewards locations across the UK where local partnerships are working to identify and solve the issues leading to homelessness.
William visited The Foyer, a temporary accommodation and support service housing around 30 young people run by the charity Simon Community, a member of the Homewards ‘Northern Ireland Local Coalition’.
Research shows that a third of care-experienced people in the UK become homeless within the first two years after leaving the care system, and 25 per cent of all people who have become homeless have been in care at some point during their childhood.
Young people who have been in care may become homeless because they cannot access affordable housing, lack a support network, or have experienced childhood trauma. In Northern Ireland, around 140 young people each year leave care and become homeless.