By Molly Claire Goddard
11:31am PST, Jan 2, 2026
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Dean Aslett, who has worked with celebrities such as
Elizabeth Hurley and
Joan Collins, revealed he was recruited to accompany
Prince William on a shopping trip. "It started with a call from Special Branch. It was all very cloak-and-dagger. They called my home number, I suppose to check I wasn't a member of the IRA [Irish Republican Army]," the retail expert told
Daily Mail.
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Prince William reportedly purchased "ordinary" items, including a
Doctor Who box set, for his grandmother,
Queen Elizabeth II. "There was nothing bling about anything William wanted. It was DVDs, fragrances, little trinkets. I was tickled by that because I was a
Doctor Who fan, too. But you don't think of The Queen watching it," Dean Aslett said.
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Despite
Prince William being the future king of England, he's always been down-to-earth, especially when it comes to The Firm. "I think it's safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good, and I embrace that. I enjoy that change," he told
Eugene Levy during an appearance on
The Reluctant Traveler. "I don't fear it, that's the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen."
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Prince William also vowed to scale back lavish traditions. "To give you more of an understanding around it, I'm doing it with maybe a smaller R in the 'royal,' if you like — that's maybe a better way of saying it. It's more about impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people," he said in a 2024 interview. "And I'm also going to throw empathy in there as well because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people's lives. And I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world."
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Prince William and
Kate Middleton also make sure their kids are grounded. "They're much more down-to-earth than most people would think," a source told
RadarOnline.com. "They [the children] really do everyday chores. The kids are expected to pitch in and earn their pocket money by helping out."
