The man who will be KING

At 43, and after what he's called “the hardest year of my life”, Prince William is reinventing what it means to be the future monarch.

- KATE MANSEY

.. ... as speculation that William may take the crown sooner than expected ramps up, former prime ministers and palace insiders reveal what he's really like – and what sort of king he'll be.

The Prince of Wales is talking tactics. More specifically, how Aston Villa can take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg. It was 1982 when William's beloved Villa last got into the top eight of UEFA's top competition, the same year he was born. After telling former footballers-turned-commentators Ally McCoist and Rio Ferdinand how the team could clinch it (if only they had listened; they lost 3-1 that night, 5-4 on aggregate), William adds that he is "wearing my lucky clothes". "Please do not go for a punditry job," Rio tells William. "Because I could be out of the game. The way you just dissected that there, I'm going to nick that for later on."

The previous time William was on camera in Paris was for a meeting with Donald Trump in December after attending the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral. William, this time in a suit and tie and "really, very handsome", according to Trump, was the first representative from Britain to meet the president after he won a second term. Today, William's tactics combine things such as football commentary with global statesman duties. As a result, he will appear on our screens more than ever before.