Prince William Reflects on the Moment He Had To Tell His Children About Kate’s Cancer
The Prince of Wales shared how he and Kate chose honesty over silence, even when there were no easy answers.
For Prince William, who is a father to three children and the King in waiting, one of the most difficult aspects for him has been fatherhood, which comes with its own set of challenges, but some chapters are tougher than others. Speaking candidly about one of the most difficult periods his family has faced, the Prince of Wales admitted that breaking the news of Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis to their three children was one of his greatest parenting challenges.
During an interview with Brazilian television host Luciano Huck on his recent trip to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize, William opened up about how he and Middleton navigated those painful conversations with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Reflecting on the difficult last two years, which saw both his wife and his father, King Charles, battle cancer, the 43-year-old prince said there’s “no manual for being a parent,” and that every family learns as they go.
“I think it is very individual and sort of moment-dependent as to how you deal with those problems,” he said, acknowledging that their approach was shaped by instinct as much as circumstance. “We chose to communicate a lot more with our children. Now, that has its good things and its bad things. Sometimes you feel you're oversharing with the children; you probably shouldn’t. But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work.”
That honesty, the Prince of Wales explained, comes from a desire to protect his children from uncertainty rather than shield them from the truth. “There are a lot more questions when there are no answers,” he added, mentioning that he and Middleton make it a point to talk about how everyone is feeling so the children don’t become anxious about what they don’t understand.“It is always a balancing act — every parent knows that. 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.”
The couple’s openness has been consistent throughout Middleton’s health journey. When the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis publicly in March 2024, she revealed that she and William had taken time to “explain everything” to George, Charlotte, and Louis before sharing the news with the world. The Princess completed her treatment in September that year and later confirmed she was in remission.
Similarly, earlier, when he appeared for The Reluctant Traveller for Apple TV, along with actor Eugene Levy, he echoed similar sentiments. Asked how his children were coping, he said they were adapting well. “Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting,” he said. “We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need. We’re a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us.”
Even so, he acknowledged that openness doesn’t always come with easy answers. “You never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have,” he admitted. “So it’s just important to be there for each other and to reassure the children that everything is okay.”
