'The hardest year in my life'
Prince William opens up about his 'brutal' year and his hope for the future
“It’s been brutal,” is how Prince William describes his personal experience of the year coming to a close. This and other revelations are from a media interview at the end of his visit to South Africa for the Earthshot Prize ceremony. While his wife, Kate, released a video in which she spoke about her health, this was the first time that William has talked about what he experienced as his wife and father were both given cancer diagnoses after undergoing surgery at the beginning of 2024.
A dreadful year
“Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” he told reporters in Cape Town. “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.”
When asked if he was as relaxed as he looked while hosting the Earthshot prize ceremony, Prince William said, “It’s interesting you say that, because I couldn’t be less relaxed this year. But it’s more a case of just crack on and you’ve got to keep going. I enjoy my work and I enjoy pacing myself and keeping sure that I have got time for my family, too.”
That he considers 2024 the hardest of his life puts what he’s endured these past months in perspective, especially considering his mother died when he was 15.
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