Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Prince William Helped Fans Get Out of Being Late for Class in Hilarious TikTok

    "Can't argue with a royal pardon."

    Kristin Contino#039;s avatar
    By Kristin Contino
    Published 15 November 2024 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Prince William Helped Fans Get Out of Being Late for Class in Hilarious TikTok
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Teachers have heard every excuse in the book over the years, but one student trumped them all when she handed her phone to a member of the Royal Family to help explain the rather wild reason why she was late to class.

    Samantha Johnson, who attends Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was held up by Prince William's visit to the school's campus center on Thursday, Nov. 14, so she took to TikTok to prove that she wasn't using a "dog ate my homework" reason for missing a lecture.

    "Just tell her why we're late," she says, looking into the camera and then handing it over to none other but the Prince of Wales. "Just say sorry, Lesley," a friend says off camera before William takes over.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    "Lesley, I'm very sorry we're late, but see we caught up, and they wouldn't believe you were here, so just say hi."

    @samanthaj0hns0n

    ♬ original sound - samantha

    Plenty of fans jumped into the comments, like one who wrote, "That’s a royal pardon," to which Johnson replied, "Can’t argue with a royal pardon."

    You may like
    • Prince William wears a gray suit jacket, a blue shirt and black slacks to visit Hastings, where he meets children and royal fans on the seafront How William Responded When a Fan "Burst Into Tears"
    • Princess Kate walking in front of Prince George, Prince William and Princess Charlotte Why Prince William and Kids Were Left Waiting for Princess Kate
    • Jason Kelce jokes about his meeting with Princess Charlotte and Prince George and the royal protocol issue he didn#039;t know how to follow, he#039;s pictured wearing a royal blue suit and doing thumbs up Jason Kelce Had a Rather Hilarious Royal Protocol Dilemma

    "He said 'we're late' fella is coming with you," another commented, while a third fan wrote, "I would send this everytime I take sick day or pto."

    Johnson also added in the comments some more details about her interaction with William, writing, "One of the nicest people I’ve met, genuinely takes care in trying to get to know you."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    "Interactions with royals are getting more and more unserious and I love that for them," another TikTok user added. The social media user's comment rings true when it comes to recent royal events, with both Prince William and Kate Middleton showing a more modern approach to their engagements and interactions with fans.

    Prince William climbing on a motorcycle in front of a green screen with a road and mountain backdrop as lights shine on him and a TV

    Prince William, who tried out green screen technology, visited the university to learn how it's training the next generation of creative professionals.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    The Prince of Wales was visiting the university to learn about how it helps train students in the creative industries sector, which, per Kensington Palace, is "estimated to contribute £1.4 billion to the local economy and employs more than 24,000 people."

    Prince William—who honored The Crown actress Imelda Staunton with a damehood earlier this week—even hopped on a motorcycle to test out some green screen technology, reliving a hobby he gave up years ago after becoming a dad of three.

    As for Professor Lesley, Johnson reports, "She was pure buzzin, reposted it on her linked in and all." University students of the U.K., take note for future visits.

    Explore More
    Prince William
    Kristin Contino
    Kristin Contino
    Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

    Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

    Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

    Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.

    Read more
    Prince William at King Harald#039;s funeral
    Royals Prince William Pivots From Eton Dropoff to King Harald's Funeral
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince George and Prince William smiling at each other
    Royals Prince George Laughs at Prince William's Embarrassing Dad Mishap at Eton
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Prince George in his Eton College uniform
    Royals How Prince George's First Day at Eton College Differed From Prince William's
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
     
     
    Princess Anne wearing a coat and paisley scarf
    Royals Princess Anne Gets a "Round of A-Paws" from Sheep Dogs in Timeless Paisley Look
    Meghan Markle wearing a blue striped shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Transforms Her Wardrobe from California to Cotswolds
     
     
    Latest in News
    Ayo Edebiri 2026 Emmys red carpet
    Celebrity Style Ayo Edebiri Sticks to Her Winning Red Carpet Formula at the Emmys
    a white woman in a gold dress with dark brown hair
    Nails Selena Gomez's 2026 Emmys Manicure Is All About a "Frosted Sunset" Finish
     
     
    US actress Zendaya presents the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award to US actress Jean Smart onstage during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026.
    Culture We're Tracking Every Can't-Miss Moment From the 2026 Emmys
    Grace Gummer and Louisa Jacobson red carpet looks at the 2026 Emmy Awards
    Celebrity Style Meryl Streep's Daughters Make Their Mom Proud on the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.