Prince William has openly shared his profound feelings of being “overwhelmed” by the significant health challenges his family has endured over the past year. In a deeply candid conversation with actor Eugene Levy, the Prince revealed that navigating the cancer diagnoses of both his wife, Kate, and his father, King Charles, pushed him to “not great places.” He expressed particular concern about the “knock on effects” this distressing news would have on his three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis, when they were informed of their mother’s diagnosis last year.

During a personal tour of Windsor Castle for Levy's AppleTV+ documentary, “The Reluctant Traveler,” William recounted that despite his worries, his children each developed their own “coping mechanisms” and had “managed brilliantly.” He conveyed that while he can readily embrace his duties as the future king, personal family struggles prove far more arduous to confront. The children were reportedly told about their mother’s cancer battle in February 2024, weeks after cancerous cells were discovered following Kate's abdominal surgery. This period saw William cancel an engagement at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, at the last minute, citing “personal reasons” as the family grappled with the news.

“Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting,” William explained to Levy. “We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need.” He further shared that while his family maintains an “open” communication style, discussing their troubles, he still harbors concerns that his children might be internalizing emotions. “You never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have. And so, it’s just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is OK,” he emphasized.

Scenes filmed in February showed Levy inquiring about Kate and the King’s progress after their respective treatments, to which William happily confirmed their well-being. He reported that “Things are good,” and described Catherine being in remission as “great news,” affirming that “Everything is progressing in the right way.” Reflecting on the past year, William branded 2024 as the “hardest year I’ve ever had,” attributing this to the immense challenge of balancing his royal duties with the critical need to protect his children, Catherine, and his father, allowing them the necessary space to process recent events, all under intense public scrutiny.

Admitting the difficulty of dealing with such personal struggles in the public eye, William stated, “You know, we all have challenges that come our way and it’s important to keep going.” He acknowledged that while he enjoys his job, aspects like media attention, speculation, and scrutiny can make it harder than other professions, particularly when one desires