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| The Duke of Cambridge at the Albert Kennedy Trust in London on Wednesday (PA) |
Britain’s Prince William has said it would be “absolutely fine by me” if in the future his children came out as gay or lesbian but he voiced concerns as to how society would react.
When quizzed about his views on his children admitting their sexuality, the duke confessed a number of parents had asked him the same question and he and wife Kate had been talking about the issue.
William’s candid admission came when he visited the London headquarters of the Albert Kennedy Trust (akt), an LGBT charity dedicated to helping young people made homeless because of their sexual orientation.
Tim Sigsworth, the akt’s chief executive, said William’s comments would make a “massive difference” and would send “a message that we need to support, and we need to empower LGBT people”.
The duke also expressed his shock at the recent bus attack on a lesbian couple saying: “I was really appalled by that attack.”
During a discussion with a group of people being supported by the charity one young gay man, who asked not to identified, said to William: “If your child one day in the future said ‘oh I’m gay, oh I’m lesbian’ whatever, how would you react?”
The duke, who was making what is thought to be the first visit by a member of the royal family to a dedicated LGBT organisation, replied: “Do you know what, I’ve been giving that some thought recently because a couple of other parents said that to me as well.
“I think, you really don’t start thinking about that until you are a parent, and I think – obviously absolutely fine by me.”
But he said that he would be concerned about how they would be seen because of the roles his children fill.
“So Catherine and I were doing a lot of talking about it to make sure they were prepared,” he said.
“It worries me not because of them being gay, it worries me as to how everyone else will react and perceive it and then the pressure is then on them.”
REUTERS
