THE ART COF BEING BILAY

The American actor and singer Billy Porter on his connection with Prince William, his joy in dressing up and why he can't be anything other than his authentic self

- JACK MALVERN

Billy Porter and the Prince of Wales make an unlikely pairing, but the singer, actor and trailblazer for male expression has built a rapport with the heir to the throne. When Billy, 56, suffered a serious case of sepsis in September, forcing him to withdraw from the Broadway production of Cabaret, he was touched to receive a missive from Kensington Palace.

The performer, who has won Tony, Grammy and Emmy awards, met Prince William in South Africa last year when he co-hosted the Earthshot Prize.

“He heard that I was ill and he sent me a ‘get well’ card,” Billy tells HELLO! as he celebrates the release of his latest film, Christmas Karma. “That's the kind of human being he is.”

In many ways, the men could not be more different. The US singer grew up in Pittsburgh in a poor and strict Pentecostal family and slogged to become an actor, despite constant feedback from auditions that he was “too flamboyant”. The Prince has had his life mapped out for him since birth.

But ask Billy whether William is hidebound by being royal and the singer is forthright: “He’s very grounded, very kind, very present to everybody around him at all times. You know, it’s a really hard job and it’s just effortless to him. I [felt] so humbled and blessed to host his Earthshot Prize... in Cape Town. His kindness and his presence have no bounds.”

The actor, who became the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy in 2019 for his leading role in the drama Pose, has become an Anglophile since starring as the Emcee in the West End production of Cabaret.

"I have to say, doing eight shows a week doesn’t really give you a lot of energy to do extracurricular stuff," he explains. “But I lived in Primrose Hill and I loved that area, and Camden Market.