Prince William opened up about how he and Kate Middleton have helped their three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — cope with the uncertainty of the Princess of Wales’ cancer battle.
During his recent trip to Rio de Janeiro for the Earthshot Prize Awards, the 43-year-old Prince of Wales spoke with Brazilian TV host Luciano Huck, sharing how the family has handled emotional conversations at home.
It was one of William’s most open interviews yet since Kate revealed her diagnosis in 2024. The Princess underwent preventative chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer and shared earlier this year that she is now in remission.
Prince William Says Communication Has Been Key for His Family
Prince William admitted that navigating such a sensitive topic with young children has been a constant balancing act.
“Every family has its own difficulties and its own challenges, and I think it’s very individual as to how you deal with those problems,” he explained, via Hello Magazine. “We choose to communicate a lot more with our children — that has its good things and its bad things. Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children when you probably shouldn’t.”
He continued, “But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work. Explaining to them how they feel, why that’s happening, giving them other viewpoints as to why they might be feeling the way they are sometimes helps give them a bigger picture and they can relax more into it, rather than being really anxious about what you’re hiding from them.”
William said he and Kate have relied heavily on instinct rather than structure. “It’s always a balancing act. Every parent knows that. It’s about how much do I say? There’s no manual for being a parent — you’ve just got to go with it.”
The Wales Household Is Quite Normal: School Runs, Sports, and Screen Rules
In his wide-ranging interview, the Prince of Wales also offered a glimpse into his and Kate’s everyday family life.
“Play dates, taxi driver, sports days, matches, playing in the garden when I can. School run most days — Catherine and I share it, but she probably does the bulk of it,” he said, describing a routine that mirrors many modern families despite their royal status.
He also revealed that the couple are cautious about technology in their household.
“It is really hard. Our children don’t have phones,” William shared. “When George moves onto secondary school, maybe he’ll have one with limited access. We talk to him and explain why we don’t think it’s right. With full access, children end up seeing things on the internet that they shouldn’t. But with restricted access, I think it’s good for messaging.”
During William’s time in Brazil, Prince George accompanied his mother to the Festival of Remembrance at London’s Royal Albert Hall — his first time attending the prestigious annual event. A video of their arrival went viral on TikTok, earning over 1.3 million views and thousands of comments praising George for “stepping up” in his father’s absence.
