Prince William Appears On The Cover Of "Attitude Magazine"

"No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason."

From: NewNowNext

 In a history-making turn, Prince William has become the first member of the British royal family to grace the cover of an LGBT magazine.

Early last month, His Royal Highness invited Attitude magazine and members of UK’s LGBT community to Kensington Palace in order to have a discussion about their experiences with bullying and homophobia, with a specific focus on how these experiences impact the mental, physical and emotional health of LGBT individuals.

 “No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason and no one should have to put up with the kind of hate these young people have endured in their lives,” the Prince said in a statement made after the discussion.

“The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now.” He went on to acknowledge the power of their “strength and optimism” and how it should motivate “us all…to stand up to bullying wherever we see it.”

“What I would say to any young person reading this who’d been bullied for their sexuality: don’t put up with it…You should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of,” his statement concluded.

In reflecting on his meeting with Prince William, Attitude editor and discussion moderator Matthew Todd said that he was “very happy that the future King of the United Kingdom agrees that this must stop.” He adds that he “would urge parents…to raise their voices in their communities to ensure that every school protects—really protects—all children.”

Though the Prince might be the first British royal to lend his face to the cover of an LGBT publication, he’s not the first royal in history to do so. That distinction belongs to King Felipe VI of Spain who posed for LGBT Spanish magazine Ragap in January 2015.

The Prince’s full feature, along with an extended photo gallery, will be available in the magazine’s July issue.