Prince William has talked publicly for the first time about the emotional impact of the dual cancer diagnoses of his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales; and his father, King Charles III, over the past year.
The prince spoke on Thursday, the final day of a four-day trip to South Africa, where he hosted the annual Earthshot Prize, an environmental award he created in 2020 to reward ambitious climate change solutions.
According to the BBC, when he was asked about the past year, he told reporters: “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: “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 brutal.”
In early February, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, less than 18 months after he was crowned king. Then in March, it was announced that Catherine had also been diagnosed with cancer, following abdominal surgery in January. In both cases, the royal family has not specified the type of cancer and has asked the news media to respect its desire for privacy.
The prince’s comments have some echoes of a phrase used by his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, who described 1992 as her “annus horribilis,” or terrible year, after three of her children suffered marital difficulties and a fire caused extensive damage at Windsor Castle.
There has been, however, some more positive news recently for the royal family. In April, King Charles said that he was returning to public duties, and Catherine has recovered sufficiently to resume some public appearances. In September, she said she had completed her chemotherapy treatment and was “doing what I can to stay cancer-free.”
On Wednesday, the Prince William told broadcasters that Catherine was doing “really well” and had been “amazing this whole year.”
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