Prince William reveals how he and Kate told their children about her cancer battle

Prince William has admitted that last year he felt “overwhelmed” by the health woes affecting his family. In a deeply personal confession to actor Eugene Levy, he said that dealing with his wife Catherine and his father King Charles both battling cancer last year had taken him to “not great places”.

And when it came to telling his three children about their mother’s devastating diagnosis last year, he worried about the “knock on effects” of such upsetting news. But relaxing with the Canadian sitcom star as he gave him a personal tour of Windsor Castle, William said that the youngsters each had their own “coping mechanisms” and that all three had “managed brilliantly”.

Speaking to Eugene for his AppleTV+ documentary The Reluctant Traveler, he said that while he can take the history of the royals, and his duty as the future king, in his stride, he finds family issues far more difficult to cope with.

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When it comes to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10 and seven-year-old Prince Louis, William is asked how they dealt with the crushing blow that their mother was battling cancer.

It is thought they were told the news in February 2024, a fews weeks after Catherine underwent abdominal surgery, which is when cancerous cells were discovered during post-operative tests. At the time William pulled out of one engagement, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, at the very last moment citing “personal reasons” as the family came to terms with what they were dealing with.

“Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting,” he tells Eugene now. “We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need.”

Suggesting that he still frets over whether they are hiding their feelings or bottling up emotions for the future, William says: “We’re a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but 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.”

In scenes filmed in February, the Schitt’s Creek favourite asks the prince, gently, how Kate and the king are doing after finishing their respective treatments, and William is happy to report that they are doing well.

“Things are good,” he says, adding that Catherine being in remission now was “great news". “Everything is progressing in the right way.”

William, whose Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when he was just 15, has branded 2024 as the “hardest year I’ve ever had”. Explaining why that was, he says: “Trying to sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine, my father needs a bit of protection, but he’s old enough to do that himself as well. But it’s important my family feel protected and have the space to process a lot of the stuff that’s gone on last year, and that was tricky trying to do that and keep doing the job.”

Admitting that he found it hard to deal with in the full glare of public scrutiny, he explains: “You know, we all have challenges that come our way and it’s important to keep going. I enjoy my job, but sometimes there are aspects of it such as the media, the speculation, you know the scrutiny, that make it a little bit harder than other jobs. It’s just making sure that doesn’t overtake and intrude into areas at times when you just want a bit of space, and a bit of peace and quiet.”

But sitting in Windsor pub The Two Brewers with his new Hollywood pal, while sipping his pint of sweet cider, William allowed himself a moment of deep reflection over what his loved ones have been through. “You know life is sent to test us as well and it definitely can be challenging at times, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are,” he declares. “You know, I’m so proud of my wife and my father, for how they’ve handled all of last year. My children have managed brilliantly as well.”

When Eugene, 78, suggests that health is the most important thing we all have in life, William agrees that, like many, he’s probably taken being fit and well for granted. This is not least because his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, lived to 101 and his grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also enjoyed very long lives.

“I was probably guilty of that,” he says. “We’ve been very lucky; we hadn’t had many illnesses in the family for a very long time. My grandparents lived until they were in the high 90s - they were the vision of fitness, and stoicism, and resilience if you like. So, we’ve been very lucky as a family.

“But I think when you suddenly realise that the rug, the metaphorical rug, can be pulled from under your feet quite quick at any point. You maybe think to yourself ‘it won’t happen to us, we’ll be OK’ - because I think everyone has a positive outlook, you’ve got to be positive. But when it does happen to you, then yeah, it takes you into some pretty, you know, not great places.”

Asked whether he felt the weight of the royal family’s long history a burden, William tells Eugene: “I wouldn’t say history overwhelms me. Other things overwhelm me, but not history. I think if you’re not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor round you, and you can feel suffocated by it, and restricted by it too much. And I think it’s important to live, for the here and now.”

Pressed on what the “other things” are, he replies: “I think, stuff to do with family overwhelms me, quite a bit. You know, worry or stress around the family side of things.

“When it’s to do with family and things like that, then that’s where I start getting a bit overwhelmed - as I think most people would, because it’s more personal, it’s more about feeling, it’s more about upsetting the rhythm, if you like.”

During the filming of the episode, called Living the Royal Life in the UK, the pair chat while exploring inside the castle and the extensive grounds, where they are accompanied by William’s dog Orla. Afterwards, they retire to a nearby pub, taking Orla with them.

At 43 years old, William suggests that he has grown into his role as a working royal and heir to the throne. “In terms of, you know, doing the job and things like that, I don’t feel too overwhelmed by that. Not now anyway,” he reasons. "When I was younger, yeah, there are bits that overwhelm you, a bit like ‘wow are we actually doing this? Is this sort of happening?’ but with time and age, I think you feel a bit more settled In that side of things and you go, ‘actually I can do that’. And even if a few curve balls come in, that doesn’t necessarily overwhelm me.”

With his mother having suffered from an unacceptable level of media intrusion during the 1980s and 90s, it’s no surprise that William fiercely guards his family’s privacy. Sitting in the pub, the Prince of Wales said he simply won’t allow history to repeat itself. “It’s hard to think of it now, but they were much more insatiable,” he recalls. “If you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family. But equally I understand, in my role there is interest, you have to work with the media, they’re all there. So, you have to have a grown-up sort of situation with it as well. It’s about knowing where the line is and what you’re willing to put up with.”

And looking brighter as Eugene asks about his general outlook on life in 2025, William laughs: “I am optimistic. I’m generally a very optimistic person, especially when I’m with someone like you Eugene.”

*The Reluctant Traveler: Living the Royal Life in the UK, Apple TV+, released tomorrow