Prince William gives rare interview on ‘challenges’ of Princess Kate’s cancer battle

Speaking candidly on Brazilian TV, Prince William discussed how he and his wife navigated a difficult few years.

Prince William has spoken of the ‘challenges’ of Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis (Image: Getty)

The Prince of Wales discussed the “difficult questions” and challenges he and his wife faced when telling their three young children about the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis. Speaking candidly with Brazilian TV host Luciano Huck in a cable car during his five-day trip to the Latin American country last week, William discussed how he and his wife navigated a difficult few years, gave a rare glimpse of family life and their strict rules on mobile phones.

William told the broadcaster, who hosted the prince’s 2025 Earthshot Prize Awards last week, that he and Kate were open with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, about the princess’s cancer battle. “Every family goes through difficult times and faces challenges together,” he said. “How you deal with those moments makes all the difference. We decided to tell our children everything, both the good news and the bad.

“We explain to them why certain things happen and why they might feel upset. Many questions might come up without answers — I think all parents go through that. There’s no rulebook for being a parent, and we chose to talk about everything.”

Kate bravely revealed to the world that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in March 2024, just weeks after her father-in-law, King Charles, had received the same heartwrenching diagnosis.

In her video statement, timed for the start of the school holidays, the princess said they had needed time to process the news and explain to George, Charlotte and Louis what was happening. She said her and William reassured them “that I was going to be ok”.

The future king has long emphasised his commitment to his family, and in a recent chat with Canadian actor Eugene Levy he explicitly stated that Kate and their three children are the most important thing in his life.

Speaking over a pint in a Windsor pub, William told the Schitt’s Creek star that he manages his royal duties around the school run and is determined to provide a sense of normality at home.

The Prince and Princess of Wales had open conversations about Kate’s cancer 

This is something he reiterated while speaking in Brazil, as the prince described how he and Kate share the school run and try to be present for their children as much as possible.

“Play dates, taxi driver, sports days, matches, playing in the garden when I can,” he said. “School run most days, I mean Catherine and I share it, but she probably does the bulk of it.”

Elsewhere in the chat, William said they will soon have to grapple with the issues of mobile phone, as their eldest son will head to secondary school next year.

“It is really hard. Our children don’t have phones,” he explained. “When George moves onto secondary school, maybe he’ll have one with limited access. We talk to him and explain why we don’t think it’s right. With full access, children end up seeing things on the internet that they shouldn’t. But with restricted access, I think it’s good for messaging.”

The princess recently warned that too much screen time damages family life. In an essay published last month, Kate said smartphones and gadgets have become a “constant distraction, fragmenting our focus”.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are very protective of their three children (Image: KENSINGTON PALACE/AFP via Getty)

William spent five days in Brazil last week, showcasing his Earthshot Prize in Rio de Janeiro and attending the UN Cop30 climate summit in Belem at the end of the week.

In what is arguably his most important week of the year, the prince visited iconic sites in the seaside city, including Christ the Reedemer, Copacabana Beach and Sugarloaf Mountain – where his interview with Mr Huck was filmed.

At the breathtaking 92ft statue of Jesus, William had a moment of reflection as he posed in the same spot his mother had stood 34 years ago.

The Brazilian presenter spoke about Princess Diana’s 1991 visit and presented William with a touching photograph of his late mother in São Paulo. The image showed Diana holding a child with HIV, a move that – at the time – was seen as taboo.

The Prince of Wales’ mother helped to shatter stigmas around the illness, famously shaking hands with an HIV patient in April 1987.

Huck told William his mother “became a very important figure in the fight against prejudice.” The prince replied: “I carry her social and humanitarian legacy with me every day.”