Copyright Salt Lake City Deseret News
Prince William got candid about what he and Kate, Princess of Wales, told their three children about her cancer diagnosis and treatment. During a visit to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize award ceremony, which he attended as a presenter, William took a rare interview with Brazilian television host Luciano Huck and opened up about the impact Kate’s cancer diagnosis had on their young family. William acknowledged that every family faces “difficult times,” but noted that how families deal with challenges “makes all the difference.” When Kate was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, William and Kate chose to be transparent with their children — George, Charlotte and Louis — about her illness and recovery, he said. “We decided to tell our children everything, both the good news and the bad. We explain to them why certain things happen and why they might feel upset,” William told Huck. “Now, that has its good things and its bad things. Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children you probably shouldn’t,” he continued. “But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work.” William noted that transparency with children feels like a “balancing act.” “It’s, ‘How much do I say? What do I say? When do I say?’ There’s no manual for being a parent, you’ve just got to go with it — a bit of instinct,” he said. It’s been nearly two years since the Princess of Wales underwent a “planned abdominal surgery,” which led to doctors detecting and diagnosing her cancer. After the operation, Kate retreated from the public to recover for about two months. Her absence sparked public speculation and several high-profile conspiracy theories. In March 2024, she publicly announced via social media that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was receiving treatments. Following a handful of periodic updates, Kate confirmed her cancer had gone into remission in January, and noted that her focus remained on recovery, though she planned to make a gradual return to public duties. William has occasionally shared publicly about the impact his wife’s illness has had on him. A year ago, during a tour in South Africa, William told reporters that 2024 had been “the hardest of his life,” in light of both Kate and his father, King Charles III, getting diagnosed with cancer. During a recent interview with actor Eugene Levy for the series “The Reluctant Traveler,” William provided a brief update on how his children fared while their mother recovered from cancer. “Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting,” he told Levy. “We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need.” He continued, “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.” William also provided an optimistic update on Kate’s health, saying that “things are good” and “progressing in the right way.” Prince William in Brazil During a five-day visit to Brazil last week, William fulfilled two environmental missions, was bestowed with the keys to Rio de Janeiro, visited the football stadium, the Maracana Stadium, and found time to recreate a photo taken by his late mother, Princess Diana, at the Christ the Redeemer statue. On Wednesday, William presented the Earthshot Prize, an award given to five recipients each year for environmental contributions — an organization launched by The Royal Foundation and Prince William in 2020. It is considered one of the most impactful and prestigious environmental awards. “We’re halfway through the 10 years that we’ve identified as the decade of change, where if we want to leave a lasting legacy and really change the way we protect and restore and live on the planet, we have to do it in this decade of change,” William said at the ceremony, per the BBC. He added, “So am I pleased with the progress the Earthshot has made and where the world is headed in environmental and climate leadership? Yes, I think we’ve made progress. Is there a lot more to do? Yes.” Also while in Brazil, William climbed to the top of the Corcovado mountain, where the 125-foot Christ the Redeemer statue stands. He posed for a solo photo in front of the landmark, a nod to his mother Diana, who took a similar photo during her 1991 visit to Brazil.
