Prince William shared one of his most candid interviews, where he spoke about how he has coped this year, marked by the cancer diagnoses of his wife, Kate Middleton, and his father, King Charles.
During an insightful reflection on the final day of his visit to Cape Town, South Africa, for the Earthshot Prize Awards, Prince William described 2024 as an extremely difficult year for him and his family.
Prince William’s interview
In the remarkable one-on-one interview, conducted on November 7 at the end of his trip, Prince William took a moment to reflect on his role as Prince of Wales, a title he assumed following the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
In the interview, the Prince of Wales admitted that, after receiving news of Kate and his father’s illness, 2024 has been “the hardest year in my life.”
“Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult,” William commented.
He also praised Kate and his father, King Charles, for the fortitude with which they have faced their respective cancer treatments.
“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
When asked how Kate – who announced on Sept. 9 that she had completed her chemotherapy – is doing, William replied that she is “doing well” and, when asked about her relaxed appearance, said, “I couldn’t be less relaxed this year, so it’s very interesting you’re all seeing that.”
But it’s more a case of keep going and you have to keep going, he added. “I enjoy my work and I enjoy pacing myself and making sure that I have got time for my family, too.”
When questioned about his view of his role and whether he feels that having more responsibility is restrictive within the royal institution, he replied:
“It’s a tricky one. Do I like more responsibility? No. Do I like the freedom that I can build something like Earthshot? Then yes. And that’s the future for me,” he added.
“It’s very important, with my role and my platform, that I’m doing something for good. That I’m helping people’s lives and I’m doing something that is genuinely meaningful. So, the Earthshot is a culmination, if you like, of all that put together.”
About his trip to Cape Town for the Earthshot Prize, he mentioned that “Earthshot is now entering its fifth year,” and reflected:
“We’ve built something from scratch. It’s a global environmental prize. It takes time, it takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot of balancing to get it right.”