There are few avenues available for those who want to become real.
Key points:
- The platinum jubilee has given new life to Simon Watkinson’s unusual skill
- The former Adelaide resident began impersonating the future king after moving to London
- He says business has grown because of platinum jubilee celebrations
It is one way to be born into the royal family, and it is another to marry.
But Australian engineer Simon Watkinson has somehow built his own path, making his style one of the most prominent members of the royal family.
For Prince William, who moved from Adelaide to London about 15 years ago, recent platinum jubilee celebrations have ensured a busy schedule, including garden parties and media appearances.
“I’ve been busier than the royal family: I’ve been everywhere they can’t, like that,” he told Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz of ABC Radio Adelaide.
“He was in the city of Canterbury being driven to appear in shops and pubs, appear at local street parties, do photo shoots, newspaper interviews.”
Watkinson has been impersonating the future king for more than a decade and signed up for a similar agency just before his doppelganger’s wedding in 2011.
“From a very young age I was told by relatives in England that it looked like Prince William, but that I never thought about it,” he said.
“I moved to London in 2006 and was told on the streets that Prince William looked like that.
Watkinson (right) says he was often told that he looked like the future king before becoming an imitator. (Reuters: Toby Melville / Facebook)
“They would stop me at the bars and buy me drinks, to the point that I thought I would have to make some money from it.
“Shortly before the royal wedding … I looked at it and joined a similar agency and the next day I was basically doing a photo shoot and it all went from there.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume. Listening time: 3 minutes 13 seconds 3 m 13 s Simon Watkinson speaks with Stacey Lee and Nikolai Beilharz of ABC Radio Adelaide. 1.5 MB download
By his own admission, Watkinson has become a bit accustomed to royal treatment, “partying and flying around the world.”
“I was flown by helicopter to open up landings where to land and then cut a tape and all sorts of things like that,” he said.
Looking for inspiration in The Crown
Watkinson comes from the suburbs of Adelaide, not, unfortunately, from Royal Park or Elizabeth (named after the current monarch), but from Brooklyn Park in the western interior of the city.
Although demand for royal imitators fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, business has once again peaked, thanks to Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations, which have just ended. a contest in London.
The (royal) Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. (Reuters: Henry Nicholls)
When he is not arrested on the street or appears at ceremonies in full robes, Watkinson works as a civil engineer.
He admits that he does not devote an exorbitant amount of time to fine-tuning his act, but prefers to let his appearance speak for itself.
“Because of the Australian accent … I try not to say much, which I think is in agreement with the royal family: they don’t usually say much,” he joked.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“Keeping up with episodes of The Crown also helps my knowledge with everything.”
Although The Crown sometimes portrays the life of the modern royal as a solitary, isolated existence, Mr. Watkinson has the company of a secondary cast.
“There’s a whole royal family of like-minded people,” he said.
“I have a few different Kates, but I usually work only with one main Kate and, yes, we look like kids and we even look like dogs.”
Watkinson says there is a whole “royal family of like-minded people,” including several Kates. (Facebook)
But will he ever meet the real will? It’s a coincidence that he suspects he may even elude someone with the royal touch.
“I know some people who know him, journalists and some of the people who work for him, and he’s aware of me, but I think they would never let us know,” he said.
“I was at an event where he came and all his security came ahead and they saw me in the crowd and they were watching me, but they laughed a little.”