Prince William was left terrified by a royal tour that involved a "hairy" journey he watched "through his fingers", a royal expert has claimed.
In a special episode of Palace Confidential, a fan submitted a question to Rebecca English, royal editor for the Mail, asking what it was like on royal tours and whether they can enjoy the countries they visit.
Rebecca set out some of the gruelling conditions she has experienced, working 20-hour days in Australia and operating on one hour's sleep in Samoa, but she said she didn't want to do a "woe is me piece".
She revealed that she'd seen "some incredible countries", even if it was simply a "brief glimpse". However, one particular "standout" for her was Bhutan, a landlocked nation in South Asia, to which she travelled with the Prince and Princess of Wales and described as a "very unusual country to visit."
Rebecca said: "It's quite difficult to get there as a tourist. They're quite strict on visas, and even to fly in, it's so difficult to get through the mountains. You have to go on a plane with a special pilot.
"And I actually remember on that trip, William obviously, being a pilot himself, was allowed in the cockpit to see it. And he came back down the plane when we landed and said, you know, 'How's everyone's pants? Because that was pretty hairy, wasn't it?' And he said he was watching it almost through his fingers."
The remote kingdom, known as Druk Yul in Bhutanese or "Land of the Thunder Dragon", is situated in the Himalayas between China and India and only started welcoming outsiders in the 1970s, reports the BBC.
Cut off from the outside world for centuries, more than 70 per cent of the country is covered in trees. It is one of only three carbon-negative nations globally, meaning it absorbs more carbon dioxide than it generates.
Tour operator KE Adventure writes that Bhutan also adheres to the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index. In this model, the country measures the happiness levels of its people over economic growth, resulting in priority being placed on its citizens' well-being.
Prince William, who is first in line to the throne after his father, King Charles III, reportedly plans to shake up the royal tour when he ascends, ditching long tours and having shorter "impactful" trips, a royal source has claimed.
The Prince of Wales, who recently travelled to Estonia for two days, spoke about his plans last year during a trip to South Africa, to which he'd travelled for his Earthshot Prize awards.
William said: "I can only describe what I'm trying to do, and that's I'm trying to do it differently and I'm trying to do it for my generation. And to give you more 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."
He added: "It's more about impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening, and helping people. And I'm also going to throw empathy in there as well, because I really care about what I do."
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