Prince William: It’s OK if My Kids Are Gay, but I’d Be ‘Worried’ Because of Their Role
The future king said he is often asked how he would react if one of his three kids came out as gay. Today, he gave a definitive and inclusive answer.
Chris Jackson/Getty
Prince William said Wednesday he would “fully support” his children if they came out as LGBT, but added that he would be “nervous” about the extra pressure a gay royal would face.
William was speaking at the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), a charity that supports LGBT young people who are at risk of homelessness.
“I wish we lived in a world where it’s really normal and cool, but particularly for my family, and the position that we are in, that’s the bit I am nervous about,” William said, according to reports on the BBC and other outlets.
The Express reported that William was asked, “If your child one day in the future said, ‘Oh, I’m gay, oh I’m lesbian,’ how would you react?”
He replied, “Do you know what? I’ve been giving that some thought recently because a couple of other parents said that to me as well.
“I think you really don’t start thinking about that until you are a parent, and I think, obviously, absolutely fine by me.
“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.
“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 BBC reported that William added, “It does worry me from a parent point of view.
“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.”
William said that he and Kate have actively discussed the question, saying they have done “a lot of talking” on the issue.