Prince William says this has been “the hardest year of my life” in new interview

As the curtains close on his visit to South Africa with the Earthshot Prize, Prince William has sat for a wide-ranging interview discussing everything from his mental health, to his wife and father’s health and even how Princess Charlotte reacted to his new facial hair.

Speaking of how he’s coped this year, with both Catherine and King Charles diagnosed with undisclosed forms of cancers, William admitted that “Honestly, 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.”

But despite the hardships, he’s very proud of his wife and father. “I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,” he said, confessing that “from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”

Work has been a balm for him, even though he admitted that he “couldn’t be less relaxed” with all the personal struggles in his family life. He said that he had to “crack on” with work but also “keeping sure that I have got time for my family too.”

Of his role as Prince of Wales, William called it a tricky question: he doesn’t like the added responsibility but he does enjoy the freedom to work on projects like the Earthshot Prize.

“And that’s the future for me,” William said. “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.”

He said: “When you approach them and say, ‘Listen, we’re building this incredible thing, please come on board’, some people are extremely fast and keen to do it. Others take a little bit longer and it’s those people who take a little bit longer, I’m like, ‘Guys, we just don’t have the time.’”

But in a moment of levity, he revealed that Princess Charlotte burst into tears the first time she saw her father’s beard. “I got floods of tears the first time I grew a beard, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second and I convinced her it was going to be okay.”

Prince William has been in Cape Town all week with the annual Earthshot Prize ceremony. On Wednesday evening, five new £1 million prizes were awarded to global projects to help the earth.