The Prince of Wales was praised for his knowledge of periods and biological cycles during a discussion with a menstrual equity campaigner at a festival in London.
William braved summer showers to meet with supporters and recipients of the Diana Award — a charity which aims to empower young people to lead change — in east London on Wednesday afternoon.
During the visit, which took place at the Truman Brewery as part of the South by SouthWest London (SXSW London) festival, the prince met Vivi Lin, 28, and Sophie Pender, 30, who were recently recognised by the Diana Legacy Award.
The award, which is presented every two years, celebrates the achievements of 20 young leaders who are believed to inspire young generations, make a positive difference to the world and have already received the Diana Award.
William was asked by Ms Lin, who founded the With Red charity to tackle period stigma and help others understand menstrual issues, if he had talked about periods with his daughter.
Smiling, the prince told her: “I know I will have to one day, but I might need my wife to help me with that.”
The pair then discussed period stigma and poverty, and William insisted on the importance of understanding and adapting to women’s biological cycles, including in sports.
After their discussion, Ms Lin said: “It was so impressive to see how much he knows about all this. I think he definitely knows a lot of things about this.”
She added: “Hearing him saying the fact that he knows that he needs to talk to his daughter, and that he also knows that he needs help from his family and everyone, I think this will really encourage a lot of people that aren’t ready or not ready yet to talk to their children about what they’re in.”
“And the fact that he acknowledged and knows that, you know, menstrual stigma is still pretty much a thing in our current society, I think that will really help us to break that stigma and to have that conversation with people.”
The prince also heard about Ms Lin and Ms Pender’s thoughts on the importance of community for young people, especially in a digital world where Ms Pender said “people can feel more disconnected than ever”.
William told them community leaders are “the beating hearts” of society, before insisting grassroots leaders in small communities are the “backbone of society”.
Ms Pender said talking with the prince about The 93% Club, which she founded and described as the UK’s largest network for state-educated people, was “massively fascinating”.
She said it was “really humanising” being able to connect with William on the issue of community for working-class youths when “we come from two totally different worlds”.
After asking Ms Lin and Ms Pender whether they had anything else planned for the day at the end of their chat, to which they said no, William jokingly told the pair to “go chill then”.
During the visit at the brewery the prince also met with other Diana Award recipients, staff and donors, as well as with the charity’s chief executive, Tessy Ojo.
Ms Ojo said of William: “Like us, we know he is proud to see the voices of young people at the heart of this event, empowering them to lead conversations on the defining and pressing issues of our time.”
“These young people are not simply responding to the world they inherit but actively reshaping it and through this making a lasting positive impact.”
As he left the brewery, William took a group picture with Diana Award recipients and staff, and waved to the crowd of reporters gathered outside the building before getting into his car.
The Diana Award is this year’s charity partner of the SXSW London festival, a six-day business, technology and creativity event being held in Shoreditch, east London.
It is the second time the festival, which began in Austin, Texas, is being held in London.
It highlights the future of the creative industries, supporting emerging artists and innovative projects, and includes a range of panel discussions, exhibitions and networking events.
Last year, King Charles also braved the rain to visit the festival’s main site at the Truman Brewery, before heading to the crypt of Christ Church in Spitalfields, east London, to see an exhibition featuring artists whose work drew on their Caribbean heritage.
And in December, the Duke of Sussex visited the Diana Award in central London, where he heard from young people about how social action has positively impacted their mental health.
The visit to the brewery concluded a day of engagements across east London for William, during which he also met with organisations tackling poverty and social change.
Earlier on Wednesday, the prince visited the Pecan charity, which provides support to those experiencing loneliness, a lack of job opportunities and runs a foodbank service that received a financial donation from William after burglars stole stock.
He also visited a pub named Prince of Peckham, where he called for pubs to be protected as he pulled a pint and tried jerk chicken.
