William Admits He's Not Ready to Have One Parenting Conversation With Charlotte — and Will Leave It to Kate
When asked about one important conversation he may one day have with Charlotte, William offered a surprisingly candid response that parents everywhere can relate to.
Among Prince William's many responsibilities, navigating parenthood does come high on the priority list. And recently, he found himself addressing a topic many fathers may eventually face, but few discuss publicly. During a recent appearance at the SXSW London Festival, William was asked a personal parenting question regarding Princess Charlotte, and his candid and thoughtful response drew praise from advocates working to break long-standing taboos around menstrual health.
The conversation also highlighted a wider issue that continues to affect millions of people around the world: period stigma. Despite growing awareness, menstruation remains a subject many families find difficult to talk about openly. Among those raising awareness is Vivi Lin, founder of the NGO "With Red," who used the opportunity to ask William how he might approach the subject of periods with his own daughter, Charlotte. "I took the courage to ask him a really important question: I asked him, 'Are you ready to talk to your daughter about periods?' and how he is preparing," Lin told PEOPLE.
Although Charlotte is now 11 years old, the topic is one many parents eventually face. And perhaps with that in mind, William "answered genuinely and smiled and said, 'This is a topic I am not familiar with,' and it was really lovely," Lin explained. Reportedly, the Prince "knows it is going to be a conversation that he would need to have in the future. He said he will try to do so with the help of his wife." William's honesty on the subject impressed Lin, and she also praised the Prince for acknowledging the stigma around periods.
"He acknowledged there is still menstrual stigma across the world, and a lot of people don’t know about it," she shared. The NGO founder added, "Coming from Prince William, that he knows he needs to talk to his daughter — and he needs the help of his wife to talk to her about it — will be really important for a lot of dads with daughters because a lot of people are struggling and don’t know how to talk to their daughters about periods."
Beyond the discussion about menstrual health, Lin said the conversation with William expanded to broader societal challenges, including the importance of meaningful human interaction in an increasingly digital world. Reflecting on the discussion, Lin said William also emphasized the value of face-to-face communication. "He mentioned the loss of human connection," she explained. "We are pretty much online, all generations, and he was saying how important it was to restore that human-to-human connection and having people look each other in the eyes and having that conversation in person."
