Prince William’s Powerful Words About His Difficult 2024 Are Going Viral

The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a ceremonial welcome for the President and First Lady of the Republic of Korea
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been front and centre in 2025, returning to the spotlight after enduring a difficult last year.

Princess Kate confirmed her cancer diagnosis in March of that year, with King Charles receiving treatment for cancer at the same time. And with both senior royal family members pausing duties to focus on their recoveries, Prince William had to step up as future King, while caring for his family.

"I'm so proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done," Prince William explained at the time during a visit to the 2024 Earthshot Prize ceremony in South Africa. “But from a personal family point of view, it's been, yeah, it's been brutal… Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult."

This week, it was confirmed that the Prince of Wales would be appearing in an episode of the new Apple TV+ series, The Reluctant Traveler, hosted by Eugene Levy. And the video teaser of the episode, airing this week, showed the 43-year-old open up about his difficult year.

“I'd say 2024 was the hardest year I've ever had," Prince William can be seen telling Levy over a beer in Windsor during a rare moment. "You know, life is sent to test us as well, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are."

Prince William can also be seen giving Levy a tour of Windsor Castle, joking with the 78-year-old, "We provide this service for everyone. We do personalised tours everywhere." And the royal can later be seen noting the importance of sleep, adding: “When you have three small children, sleep is an important part of my life."

Prince William’s episode of The Reluctant Traveler will premiere on Friday 3 October on Apple TV+.

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Contributing Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.