Prince William’s ‘hardest year’ has made him focus even more on what really matters to him
There has always been a line for Prince William when it comes to what he will or won’t share about his private life.
Which is why, as I read his quotes in a wide-ranging and surprisingly personal interview at the end of his tour of Cape Town, I was so taken aback by his openness about how tough this year has been.
From Kensington Palace, there has been a sense that this is the Princess of Wales’s story to tell.
The video messages about Kate’s cancer diagnosis and treatment have come from her, not carefully worded statements from palace spokespeople. And she has told us in no uncertain terms how hard it’s been on all of them as a family.
But at the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered how William has been dealing with it all. For partners, there is an expectation that you should be the one to hold things together and be strong, as you support your loved one through the trauma of a diagnosis.
But as William so clearly articulated, sometimes it’s been really difficult to hold everything together. And don’t forget his father was diagnosed with cancer at the same time.
For a man who’s already endured so much trauma in life, with the death of his mother, it really says something that he describes 2024 as “probably the hardest year of my life”.
In February and March, I was at a number of visits he carried out, as the rumours about Kate spiralled out of control. I was struck by how he just kept his head down and got on with the job.
I was told at the time he was angry about the social media speculation. When he describes the year as brutal you can understand why.
But in Cape Town this week, he has seemed more at ease. We don’t know how much that’s to do with the fact Kate’s treatment has finished or whether it’s simply a reaction to the bubble of infectious excitement surrounding him and the Earthshot events.
Whatever it is, he clearly felt relaxed enough to give one of his most candid interviews in recent years, including talking about how he views his new role as first in line to the throne.
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It’s maybe not surprising to hear that he doesn’t like the added responsibility, but he’s known for a long time that it was coming, which is why I get the sense he’s thought long and hard about what he really wants to do as Prince of Wales.
His father had a long time to establish what he thought an heir should do. William clearly sees it slightly differently. Impact is the buzzword. Although that’s not to say traditional responsibilities fade away.
Remembrance events will dominate the weekend for the prince and his family, as they lead the country in the annual moment of reflection.
But his interview got me thinking. This is a man who has faced three major life events in just the past two years. With the death of his grandmother he became heir to the throne, then his wife and father were diagnosed with cancer.
He was already a man who wouldn’t just be swayed by what others thought he should be doing but this, it seems, has made him focus even more on what really matters to him.