The 42-year-old Prince of Wales made a rare revelation on Friday. Prince William admitted that the last year has been very difficult for him as a husband, father and son.
The heir to the British throne wrapped up a four-day visit to South Africa. As part of the tour, he presented the Earthshot environmental award and held a number of meetings with environmental activists and volunteers. William gave a candid and emotional interview on the last day of his tour. He was wearing a blue blazer he bought from a vintage shop in London as part of a drive to wear as much recycled or eco-friendly clothing as possible.
The prince admitted that the last year has been very difficult for him as a husband, father and son. William said, sighing slightly and lowering his voice:
“Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult. 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.”
King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer after a routine prostate operation he underwent in January. He is still undergoing weekly treatments but is delighted with his doctors’ progress. In March, Kate Middleton broke the news that she had been diagnosed with cancer. In September, the 42-year-old Princess of Wales announced that she had undergone chemotherapy and beaten cancer.
When asked how Kate was doing, he smiled and replied:
“She’s doing well. Doing well.”
The prince was surprised that his behaviour in Cape Town was described as relaxed. He said:
“It’s interesting you say that, because I couldn’t be less relaxed this year, so it’s very interesting you’re all seeing that.”
The monarch’s eldest son has made it clear that he intends to continue to take a different approach to his royal role and responsibilities than his father Charles III and late grandmother Elizabeth II. That said, Kate Middleton’s husband has said he is not entirely comfortable with the extra responsibility that has come with his relatively new role as Prince of Wales. But William said it gives him the time and freedom to pursue large-scale global initiatives, such as the Earthshot Prize, and the opportunity to make significant changes. He also said:
“You mention the added responsibility and the freedom in the same sentence. 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. 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.”
William spoke at the seaweed innovators’ exhibition. He even bought a pair of coastal seaweed earrings for Kate Middleton. At the end of the meeting, the future king spoke out about his environmental initiative. He concluded:
“So, the Earthshot is a culmination if you like of all that put together. But it takes a lot of work, and there’s a lot of unseen stuff that goes on, a lot of meetings, a lot of people coming in, a lot of chatting and phone calls, letters, all trying to sort of make the Earthshot get to being the best possible entity it can be.”
