Prince William Shares Rare Update on Kate and Charles’ Cancer: ‘My Father Needs a Bit of Protection’
Prince William is rarely known to pull back the curtains on his private life, but recently, he opened up about his struggles last year. In a candid conversation during a Windsor Castle tour with actor Eugene Levy, the Prince of Wales shared a rare update on how Princess Kate and King Charles are coping after their cancer battles and how his family weathered what he admits was the most difficult year of his life.
Levy, best known for Schitt’s Creek, didn’t skirt the obvious question. “This last year, your wife and father have been ill. How are things now, first of all?” he asked. William answered, but was cautiously optimistic. “Yes, things are good. Everything is progressing in the right way, which is all good news.” Both Kate and Charles faced cancer diagnoses within weeks of each other, plunging the monarchy into uncharted territory.
Reflecting on the same, he said, “I’d say 2024 was the hardest year that I’ve ever had." William also acknowledged that the media scrutiny only added to the strain. The scrutiny is part of the job, but he made clear his determination to draw a protective circle around his family. He stressed, "Trying to sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine, my father needs a bit of protection, but he’s, you know, he’s old enough to do that himself as well. But it’s important my family feels protected and has 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.”
Levy pressed further, asking specifically about Kate, who in January revealed she was in remission after completing chemotherapy last September. William unhesitantly said, “Yes, she is. Yes.” The relief in his tone was evident. Levy replied, “Which is wonderful news,” and William replied simply, “It’s great news, exactly.”
Kate had undergone major abdominal surgery in January 2024, before announcing in March that year that she was receiving chemotherapy. Her absence from public life for much of the year fueled intense speculation. Simultaneously, Charles was grappling with his own diagnosis. After treatment for an enlarged prostate, the King revealed in February 2024 that he had cancer, though the exact type was never disclosed. His treatment continued through the year, including a brief hospitalization in March this year over the side effects of the treatment.
When Levy asked about the effect on their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — William spoke as much like a father as a Prince. “Everyone has their own coping mechanisms… we try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need. And 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 okay.”
It wasn’t the first time William had described the past year in these terms. During a visit to South Africa last November, he shared, “I am so proud of my wife, I am proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”