Prince William has called this year the 'hardest' of his life, after his wife, the Princess of Wales and his father, King Charles, were both diagnosed with cancer.
'It's been dreadful. It's probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult,' he told reporters in South Africa after being asked how his year has been after a difficult year for the Royal Family.
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Buckingham Palace revealed the King had cancer in February before. Just six weeks later it was announced the Princess of Wales was undergoing chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis too.
After both undergoing treatment, the King has since returned to public duties, while Catherine is easing herself back into public life. Her next upcoming public appearances will be this weekend; she will attend both the Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.
'I'm so proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done,' Prince William added. 'But from a personal family point of view, it's been brutal.'
On Wednesday, Prince William told broadcasters that his wife is doing 'really well' and has been 'amazing this whole year'.
Together since 2003 and married since 2011, one of the Princess of Wales' recently released videos in September 2024 showed the pair and their family stronger than ever.
Concluding the video with her family alongside her, Catherine said: 'Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time.
'Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling. To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand.'
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Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
