Prince William arrives on a scooter to meet Palisadian Eugene Levy.
Photo: AppleTV+
By BERNICE FOX
As a former honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, Eugene Levy can be considered local royalty.
Now he has spent time with crown-and-throne royalty.
For his AppleTV+ series, The Reluctant Traveler, now in its third season, Levy met up with William, the Prince of Wales.
They first meet on the grounds of Windsor Castle, with Prince William arriving on – of all things – an electric scooter, like we see on the streets of Santa Monica.
That’s an ice-breaker, for sure.
Levy tells the prince “This is not what I was expecting. This is your mode of transportation?” William tells him “It is ‘round here” on the grounds of the castle.
True to Levy’s character, he responds “I have a very low threshold for adventure. So I’ve actually never been on one of these.”
Eugene Levy and Prince William chat inside Windsor Castle.
Photo: AppleTV+
When the two leave the garden area and go inside the castle, Levy appears in awe of the history around them, as many tourists would be. So he asks William if he ever gets “overwhelmed by the sheer history of the place.”
William smiles and tells him “when you say it like that, it sounds like I should say ‘yes.’”
Levy and William take their conversation to a local pub, where they cover a range of topics of importance to the prince, from his father’s and wife’s cancer, to a sometimes “insatiable media,” to his own optimism and a lot more.
Prince William and Eugene Levy enjoy a pub drink and a good laugh.
Photo: AppleTV+
Looking back, Levy says “Prince William was an exceptionally gracious host and I was so impressed with how at ease he made me feel.”
He calls him a “smart, young man with a great sense of humor. And to think I just ticked him off my bucket list.”
He adds this was “one of the most thrilling days of my life.”
Eugene Levy and Prince William stroll around the grounds at Windsor Castle.
Photo: AppleTV+
This episode of The Reluctant Traveler is available now on AppleTV+. Each Friday through October 31, a new episode from the show’s third season becomes available. Future episodes this season find Levy in South Korea, Ireland with his daughter, Sarah Levy, India and Vancouver, British Columbia.