Sean Mandell
Prince William has spoken out about the “brutal” 2024 he has endured, describing it as “the hardest year of my life” following the cancer diagnoses of his father, King Charles III, and his wife, Kate Middleton.
Speaking to reporters on the final day of his visit to South Africa, which hosted his annual Earthshot Prize Ceremony, the Prince of Wales said, “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,” he added, responding to a question about how his year has been.
“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.”
Asked how Princess Kate is doing after completing her chemotherapy, William said she’s “doing well,” per People.
When a reporter told him he looked relaxed, the prince was taken aback. “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 just crack on and you’ve got to keep going,” he continued. “I enjoy my work and I enjoy pacing myself and keeping sure that I have got time for my family, too.”
Prince William, who became Prince of Wales after his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022, also responded to a question about whether he liked the freedom and responsibility that came with his relatively new role.
“It’s a tricky one. Do I like more responsibility? No,” he confessed.
“Do I like the freedom that I can build something like Earthshot then yes.”
He continued, “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’s Earthshot organization aims to combat environmental crises facing the planet by annually giving £1 million grants to five organizations or individuals who have creating game-changing innovations.
This is a developing story.
This post was originally posted by NYPost
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