Prince William’s US charm offensive: Heir to the throne has ‘won the hearts of a nation’ during his NY trip that has ‘revived his heartthrob status’ and ‘reignited his likeability factor’, experts say – as American media praise ‘warm and genuine’ royal

Prince William’s has ‘won the hearts of a nation’ during his New York charm offensive, which has ‘revived his heartthrob status’, PR and royal experts have said. 

The Prince of Wales’ trip to the States has been hailed a stunning success – with American media praising the ‘warm and genuine’ royal. 

William was met by hundreds of adoring fans as he toured the Big Apple this week, which saw him attending the second Earthshot Prize, making an emotional visit to a New York firehouse, and even cracking jokes with a ‘rowdy’ bunch of 60-year-olds after his run through Central Park. 

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede said the future heir’s trip was a shining example of how to win over America, and said the royal had shown his quality as a ‘statesman’ and ambassador for Britain. 

‘Prince William has managed to charm the whole of America with his visit to the US,’ Mr Ede told MailOnline. ‘He has managed to regain the respect the Royal Family needed by showing his many facets. 

‘He’s been fun, fearless, intelligent and compassionate and he has really shone a light on himself as future King but also on his passion which is the Earthshot prize and the environment. 

‘He has stepped into the spotlight without his wife by his side which has allowed him to stand on his own two feet with all eyes on him. Being on his own has enabled this exercise to be totally dedicated to him without a fashion sideshow which will always happen with Kate by his side. 

‘He has won the hearts of the nation and also regained his sex symbol status too enabling his charm, wit and intelligence to shine through when meeting members of the public and dignitaries alike.’

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said the Prince of Wales’s visit had been enormously successful, with his dip in the Hudson on Monday to see the Billion Oyster Project ‘reviving his heartthrob status’.

‘Americans loved his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. It is clear that a very special relationship now exists with William,’ he told MailOnline. 

Pointing towards the recent Gallup poll where Prince William was voted the most admired public figure in America, with King Charles in fourth place, Mr Fitzwilliams said the result contained an ‘extraordinary statistic’.

‘Prince William scored over 60 per cent among Republicans and over 60 per cent among Democrats. This achievement would simply not be possible for any other figure in a society as deeply divided as the United States is today,’ he said.

‘Then there is the response to William’s visit to the oyster project in New York. The images which went viral and have had adoring fans tweeting. His dip in the Hudson River has revived his heartthrob status.’

US media championed the Prince’s visit, with the New York Post reporting William was ‘very warm and genuine’.

While Fox News said the Prince of Wales’s jaunt to the Big Apple was in ‘stark contrast’ to his brother Prince Harry’s ‘near catastrophic’ paparazzi drama. 

William’s royal engagement was labelled a case of ‘class vs crass’ in comparison to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s last headline-grabbing trip to the city. 

Comparing the two brothers, Christopher Anderson – author of The King – told Fox News Digital: ‘It’s all a case of class vs. crass.

‘When Harry and Meghan swept into New York last May, they flew in on a private jet and brought with them all the baggage and complaints they’d been carting around for years.

‘The Sussexes seemed determined to prove that they, like Princess Diana, were being unfairly hounded by the press. Almost as if on cue, Harry and Meghan’s visit climaxed with a purported two-hour high-speed chase through the streets of Manhattan — a chase that, to anyone even vaguely familiar with the city, seemed improbable at best. What drama.

‘It was just another stop on Harry and Meghan’s traveling grievance roadshow.’

The New York Post said the future monarch’s charm offensive had won over New Yorkers, who were hit with ‘royal fever’. 

Scores of fans turned out ‘gleefully’ to meet William during his impromptu downtown visit, which saw the royal visiting FDNY Ten House – which lost 10 firefighters during the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001. 

Prince William’s stay in the City That Never Sleeps triggered an outpouring of affection from fans on social media. 

One person wrote on X – formerly Twitter – that William ‘brings out the best’ in New Yorkers.

‘I’m thrilled that my fellow New Yorkers gave him such a great welcome,’ they wrote. ‘We’re a pretty jaded lot, but there’s something very warm and genuine about William.’

In a nod to William’s  growing fanbase across the pond, another account shared photos of the royal with his fawning crowds, joking: ‘Prince William isn’t popular in America

‘Meanwhile, the crowds of New Yorkers who gathered to get a glimpse of him today,’ she added.

‘Yup not popular at all. New Yorkers have no interest at all,’ another user joked.

‘Same thing happened last year in Boston oh snap I forgot that crowds waited in the pouring rain for almost 2 hours for his delayed arrival at Boston City Hall. Yup not popular at all.’

Mr Fitzwilliams added the Prince of Wales’s charm offensive had elevated him above his brother’s popularity in the States.

‘It does seem clear that the people have finally seen through the Sussexes in the United States,’ he said.

‘The fact that this has happened alongside a bitter royal rift is particularly significant as it shows that, finally, the posturing of the Sussexes has been revealed for what it is. As Meghan is American, there was naturally, initially, both fascination and empathy with her. Yet it is now William who is admired.’  

Mr Ede added William showed off his quality as a ‘statesman’ and appeared more at ease with the American public than his younger brother. 

‘He has reignited his likeablity factor which is a key factor for him and he has shown a down to earth attitude,’ Mr Ede told MailOnline.

‘He’s not complained he’s gone about his business and he’s acted like the statesman he is. 

‘This in stark contrast to his brother who has found It much harder to find his feet in the US although he now calls it home. 

‘With William there is no drama or contradiction there is passion, compassion and personality all which are firmly traits that will win over the US and beyond.’ 

And it appears Prince William is having somewhat of a renaissance and is once again catching the eyes of a legion of female fans in America. 

The Prince – who some critics have cruelly pointed out is less ‘follicularly blessed’ than in his younger years – looked tanned and relaxed with a new closely-cropped hair style. 

He teamed a quintessentially British outfit of chinos, wax jacket and a blue button down shirt with a US crowd-pleasing baseball cap. 

Women across the pond even gushed over Prince William’s waterproof outfit of waist-high waders as he took a dip in the Hudson River at the Billion Oyster Project, which aims to make the waters around New York clean by putting a billion oyster shells in them by 2035 to act as natural filters. 

After fan accounts posted snaps of William on Instagram and Twitter, royal lovers flocked to swoon over the Prince of Wales’s ‘handsome’ and ‘sexy’ look as he evoked Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy and waded through the water.

While his status as reborn sex symbol may raise eyebrows, he has certainly been making an impression on American citizens in his new role as the Prince of Wales. Just last month he was dubbed the most popular public figure by a survey of people in the US, beating even Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.   

As he got stuck into the project and helped to collect the shells, William showed his casual side with his shirt slightly buttoned down and rolled-up sleeves, plus a waterproof suit and a navy blue baseball cap. 

In response to the photos of William’s engagements which were shared on social media, royal fans on Twitter and Instagram were keen to let the Prince of Wales know they were in favour of his more casual look.

One fan wrote: ‘Who new waders could look so good!’

Another, who praised the royal, referred to him as ‘our handsome and sexy Prince William.’

Many royal fans argued that William’s willingness to don the waders and get stuck in with the task at hand showed him at his very best as a ‘future king in action’.

One royal fan wrote on Twitter: ‘Prince William, such a handsome, global ambassador.’

Another said: ‘William got not only the brains gene but also all the handsome genes.’

And for many, the waterproofs only added to the Prince’s sex appeal, with one royal fan writing: ‘He wears strictly utilitarian clothing as protection when in the water, yet even then Prince William looks poised and handsome.’ 

The striking reaction to the Prince’s Darcy-esque look is not the first time William has set pulses racing in recent months, after fans swooned over the father-of-three during the King’s Coronation Concert earlier this year.

As William took to the stage set up on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where he paid tribute to his ‘Pa’, King Charles, people took to Twitter to label him a ‘DILF’ as they swooned over his looks.

One person commented: ‘If this isn’t HOT, I don’t know what is?’

Another wrote: ‘William is hot as f***. I will not be taking any further questions.’

A third added: ‘William is so hot, I’m sorry!’

A fourth wrote: ‘William is really a DILF!’