Prince William has described the past year in which his wife Catherine and his father, Britain’s head of state King Charles III, each battled cancer, calling it “brutal” and perhaps the “toughest” of their lives.
The heir to the British throne was speaking to reporters on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to South Africa for his Earthshot Prize initiative.
Buckingham Palace announced in February that Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with an undiagnosed cancer and would step back from public life to receive treatment.
The following month his daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, 42, revealed that she had also been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
“Honestly, it’s been horrible. It’s probably been the hardest year of my life,” Williams said.
“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really hard.”
Both Charles and Catherine have since made limited returns to public duties, although Charles is still undergoing treatment.
Katherine said in September that she had completed her chemotherapy and was hoping to receive more treatments “whenever possible”.
“I’m very proud of my wife, I’m very proud of my dad for the job he’s done,” Williams said.
“But from a personal family standpoint, it has been, yes, it has been brutal,” he said.
This year’s awards ceremony for the William K Earthshot Prize was held in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The initiative honors projects that seek new solutions to the challenges facing the world’s nature and climate.
William is also committed to Homewards, a five-year program launched by his charitable foundation to tackle homelessness in the UK.
When William was told that he appeared relaxed, he said he “couldn’t be less relaxed this year”.
“It’s just a matter of moving forward and you have to keep moving forward,” he said.
“I enjoy my work and enjoy pacing myself, and making sure I have time for my family as well,” he said.
In addition to health problems, the royal family has faced continued stress this year over William’s estranged brother Harry.
Harry’s relationship with his family has worsened since he and his wife Meghan left royal life and moved to California in 2020.
William and Harry used to be close – a relationship that was forged after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. But according to British media reports, they have not spoken to each other for two years.
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