ALBAWABA - Prince William broke his silence on the "brutal" year of 2024, amidst Kate Middleton and King Charles' cancer diagnosis, describing it as "the toughest year of my life."
As his trip to Cape Town, South Africa, came to a conclusion on November 7, he gave an open interview.
"I convinced her that everything would be okay," the Prince of Wales said when discussing how he helped his daughter Charlotte embrace his new beard.
During his appearance at this year's Earthshot Awards, the Prince of Wales said that his daughter, Princess Charlotte, had given his new beard a serious test—not from the general public.
"Charlotte didn't like it the first time; she cried a lot, so I had to shave it off," William recalled of his first effort to maintain his beard.
Then he made the decision to give it another go, but he needed to persuade her a little more, stating, "I convinced her that it would be okay."
When a reporter remarked that the prince seemed peaceful and "relaxed" due to his new beard, which he had started wearing in August, William acknowledged that the image was misleading.
William expressed his thoughts on a "brutal" 2024, referring to it as "the toughest year of my life" following the diagnosis of Kate Middleton and King Charles.
He went on: "Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been tough; it's been horrendous."
He also expressed his gratitude to Kate and his father, King Charles, for their handling of their respective illness journeys, and reflected on his role as Prince of Wales, which he assumed two years ago following the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, on September 8, 2022.
He stated, "I'm very proud of my wife, and I'm very proud of my parents, for dealing with the things that they have done, but from a personal family point of view, it's been brutal."
He responded that Kate was "fine" when asked how she was doing after announcing on September 9 that she had finished her chemotherapy. He also expressed his peacefulness, saying, "This year, I couldn't be more relaxed, and it's interesting that you all see that." He continued: "It's more about continuing, and you have to continue. I enjoy my work, and I enjoy regulating my life and making sure I have time for my family as well."
