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The name’s William, Prince William.
The Duke of Cambridge recently channeled his inner James Bond (minus the martinis, Aston Martins and more) during a three week stint at Britain’s top intelligence and security agencies. Kensington Palace shared the news on social media on Saturday and posted a photo of Prince William listening intently to someone at the Government Communications Headquarters. They shed some light in the caption as to what he learned and experienced during his time at these government agencies.
The palace revealed that Prince William spent a week apiece at MI5, MI6 and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
He began assignment at MI6, which is known as the Secret Intelligence Service aka Britain’s version of the CIA. Kensington Palace described MI6 as the agency that works “secretly overseas, developing foreign contacts and gathering intelligence that helps to make the UK safer and more prosperous.”
MI6—which also happens to be fictional Bond’s home, hence the name M for his boss—helps “the UK identify and exploit opportunities as well as navigate risks to its national security, military effectiveness and economy.”
After learning about overseas intelligence, the 36-year-old spent time at MI5, which focuses on domestic issues. Specifically, they “protect our national security, particularly against threats from terrorism.”
While at GCHQ, Prince William “spent time with those using cutting-edge technology, technical ingenuity and wide-ranging partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats.”
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The timing of Prince William’s shadowing the agencies was relevant because, according to the palace’s statement, the “threat level for international terrorism in the UK” has been “set at SEVERE or above for the last five years.”
Prince William described the training as a “truly humbling experience” and called their work “vital.”
“These agencies are full of people from everyday backgrounds doing the most extraordinary work to keep us safe,” he said. “They work in secret, often not even able to tell their family and friends about the work they do or the stresses they face.”
The father of three continued to praise the work of both the agencies and their employees. He said, “They are driven by an unrivalled patriotism and dedication to upholding the values of this country. We all owe them deep gratitude for the difficult and dangerous work they do.”
Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, has done his fair share of work protecting his home country. He previously served in the British Army and Royal Air Force.
So while we may not see Prince William getting into any high-speed boat chases and whatnot, it’s clear that this royal prefers his safety neither shaken nor stirred, but straight up.