Prince William Gets Raw and Personal in Rare Interview: 19 Bombshells on Kate, Their Kids and His Future as King
Courtesy of Apple Prince William opens up about Kate Middleton and King Charles' cancer journeys — and how their children are coping in the latest episode ofThe Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy, premiering Oct. 3 on Apple TV+ The Prince of Wales candidly reflects on the personal toll of family stress, from his parents' divorce to losing Queen Elizabeth The heir to the throne also shows his lighter side, reminiscing about pub crawls at St. Andrews and bonding with Levy overAmerican Pie Prince Williamis letting his guard down like never before. In hisnewly released episode ofThe Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levyon Apple TV+, which premieres on Oct. 3, the Prince of Wales, 43, steps out from behind the formality of royal duty andopens up on everythingfrom the private toll ofKate Middleton's cancer journey to his children's everyday lives — and even his surprising love ofAmerican Pie. Perhaps most strikingly, the heir to the throne looks ahead, promising to bring "change for good" when his time as King comes — and vowing not to repeat the "mistakes" of the past. Throughout the episode, William gives Levy a one-of-a-kind tour — from strolling Windsor Castle with the family dog Orla to sharing a pint at a local pub — offering a rare glimpse of palace life and a side of himself few have ever seen. Read on for the 19 biggest bombshells from his candid cameo on the show. "I do miss my grandmother and my grandfather," William tells Levy of losingQueen ElizabethandPrince Philipin recent years. "It's been quite a bit of change, so you do sort of think about them not being here anymore and particularly being in Windsor, for me Windsor is her. She loved it here; she spent most of her time here." He also reveals that his relationship with his grandparents grew warmer as they aged. "I had a good relationship," William shares. "My grandparents were of a different generation. I think when we were younger, it was harder to have that very close relationship because it was quite formal, but as they got older and I got older, it got warmer and warmer, and I definitely think my relationship was best with my grandparents when they were more in their eighties. When they'd sort of relaxed a little bit." Ian Gavan/Apple TV+ In March 2024,Kate went public with her cancer diagnosis, and, after going through chemotherapy treatment, the Princess of Wales announced in January that hercancer was in remission. King Charles, meanwhile, wasdiagnosed in February 2024, and the specifics of both his and Kate's diagnoses have been kept private. "I'd say 2024 was the hardest year that I've ever had," William admits. "Trying to sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine, my father needs a bit of protection, but he's, you know, he's old enough to do that himself as well." "But it's important that my family feels protected and has the space to process a lot of the stuff that's gone on last year, and that was tricky trying to do that and keep doing the job," he continues. "But you know, we all have challenges that come our way, and it's important to keep going. So, you know, I enjoy my job, but sometimes there are aspects of it, such as the media, the speculation, you know, the scrutiny, that make it a little bit harder than other jobs. It's just making sure that doesn't overtake and intrude into areas at times when you just want a bit of space, and a bit of peace and quiet." Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images William didn't hold back when reflecting on his family's resilience. "You know life is sent to test us as well, and it definitely can be challenging at times, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are," he says. "You know, I'm so proud of my Wife and my father for how they've handled all of last year. My children have managed brilliantly as well." For William, it's not the crown that weighs heaviest — it's family. "Stuff to do with family overwhelms me quite a bit," William admits. "Worry or stress around the family side of things does overwhelm me quite a bit. But in terms of doing the job and things like that, I don't feel too overwhelmed by that...When it's to do with family and things like that, then that's where I start getting a bit overwhelmed — as I think most people would, because it's more personal, it's more about feeling, it's more about upsetting the rhythm." Getty Images In a rare comment about the painful split of his parents,Princess Dianaand Charles, William said it left a lasting impact. "You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love," William says. "That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood. My parents got divorced at 8, so that lasted a short period of time. But, you take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don't do the same mistakes as your parents. I think we all try and do that and I just want to do what's best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you're small really affects you when you're older." When Levy asks how William's wife and father are amid their cancer journeys, he replies, "Yes, things are good. Everything is progressing in the right way, which is all good news. When Levy asks if Kate is in remission now, he replies, "Yes, she is yes…It's great news." Karwai Tang/WireImage For the first time, William reflects on how his children are coping with their mother's health challenges. "Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting," he says. "We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need. And we're a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but you never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have. And so, it's just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is okay." William admits he was jolted by how quickly life can change when illness strikes. "We've been very lucky; we haven't had many illnesses in the family for a very long time," he says. "My grandparents lived until they were in their high nineties. So, they were the vision of fitness, and stoicism and resilience, if you like. So, we've been very lucky as a family. But I think when you suddenly realize that the rug, the metaphorical rug, can be pulled from under your feet quite quick at any point. You maybe think to yourself, 'It won't happen to us, we'll be okay' — because I think everyone has a positive outlook. You've got to be positive. But when it does happen to you, then yeah, it takes you into some pretty not great places." Dominic Lipinski-WPA Pool/Getty Reflecting on his parents' struggles with the press, William says he draws a firm line when it comes to his own family. "If you're not careful, you can intrude so much into someone's life that actually you start unpicking everything. And growing up, I saw that with my parents, the media were so insatiable back then — it's hard to think of it now, but they were much more insatiable. They wanted every bit of detail they could absorb, and they were in everything, literally everywhere. They would know things, they'd be everywhere. And if you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family." "And so, I take a very strong line about where I think that line is, and those who overstep it, I'll fight against," he says. "But equally, I understand, in my role, there is interest; you have to work with the media. So, you have to have a grown-up sort of situation with it as well. It's about knowing where the line is and what you're willing to put up with." Ian Gavan/Apple TV+ When asked if he keeps a 9 to 5 work schedule, he replies, "Not really, no. It doesn't quite work like that, but I do try and stick to school time tables as best as possible. So, most days we're in and out of school doing pick-ups and drop offs." "Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important," he continues. "Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don't start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you're setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall. And so, it's about making sure that we can look after our families, look after our children, in a way that is best for their future." After Levy asks if they sit down at the dinner table together as a family, William shares, "Yep, absolutely, yep definitely. So, we sit and chat; it's really important. None of our children have any phones, which we're very strict about." When asked how his kids spend their downtime, he shares, "Louie loves the trampoline, so he's obsessed with trampolining and actually Charlotte does a lot as well," he says. "As far as I can tell, they just end up jumping up and down on the trampoline, beating each other up, most of the time. Apparently, there is an art to it. Charlotte does her netball as well, and her ballet, and so keeping them busy with sports and being outdoors is really important. They're trying to learn musical instruments. I'm not sure how successful we're being with that. George loves his football and his hockey." Ian Gavan/Apple TV+ When William introduces his dog Orla to Levy, he shares, "She's actually the niece of our other dog, Lupo, who sadly we lost during [COVID] lockdown." Levy asks if they were there when it happened, and William replies, "Yes, we were all there, sadly. It was very sad." Ian Gavan/Apple TV+ While he admits one day becoming King of England is "not something I wake up in the morning and think about," he does know the kind of monarch he intends to be. "I think it's safe to say that change is on my agenda," he says. "Change for good. And I embrace that and I enjoy that change — I don't fear it. That's the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen." When asked what he thinks about when it comes to George becoming king one day, William replies, "It's an interesting question and it's a big question that one. Because there are lots of things to think about with that. But obviously, I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people's lives for the better." He then makes the only mention of his estranged brother,Prince Harry, adding, "That is caveated with, I hope we don't go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry and I had to grow up in — and I'll do everything I can to make sure we don't regress in that situation." Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images William says he wants to honor tradition while questioning what still works for today, keeping the focus on the present rather than the weight of history. "If you're not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it and restricted by it too much," he says. "And I think it's important to live, for the here and now." "I want to question things more. I think it's very important that tradition stays, and tradition has a huge part in all of this, but there's also points where you look at tradition and go, 'Is that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do? Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having?' So, I like to question things is what I'm really getting at." The Prince of Wales uses an electric scooter to zoom up from Adelaide Cottage to Windsor Castle for his work. As he meets Levy outside the castle, he tells him: "I'm always late, so I thought this was the way to keep my meetings on time….We live down outside the castle. My father spends a lot of time here, but we don't actually live in the castle itself. But we come and use the castle for work and for meetings, and see people. And I'm always late, so I thought this was the way to keep my meetings on time. I'm still regularly late anyway." Ian Gavan/Apple TV+ Like many teens in the late '90s and early 2000s, William was a fan ofAmerican Pie, which Levy famously starred in. "I heard you were in town, so I thought why not get you over here. I was a big fan of your earlier films, Eugene, all theAmerican Pies," he says. When Levy replies, "Oh, yeah?" William says, "I'm afraid I was, I was of that generation." Levy responded, "I have to ask, who did you seeAmerican Piewith?" "Lots of my friends, you know," William replied. Jayne Fincher/The Fincher Files/Popperfoto via Getty William recalls racing through St. George's Hall as a child, dodging splinters on the old oak floors. "My cousins and I, and the family, would chase each other up and down here and do silly games," he says. "And I remember these carpets weren't here, and there were a couple of spots where you used to have to watch out because you'd get massive splinters because the old floor was old wood — an old oak floor. It was a really dark wooden oak floor. So, when you went running off, you'd end up coming away and you'd have an enormous splinter. And everyone would be like "Stop! Stop!" And someone had s splinter sort of that big in their foot. So now, it's a lot easier. My children don't realize how lucky they are, they've got a big old carpet they can run down and there's no splinters." Ian Gavan/Apple TV+ William gives a glimpse of his St. Andrews college days. "Do you know how many pubs we had at St. Andrews?" he asks Levy. "The university where I was in Scotland — 45. The mission was to get around all 45 pubs in one go; I don't think anyone's ever managed, I'm sure someone's managed it. None of my lot managed it. It's quite a feat, 45 pubs." Read the original article onPeople
Prince William Gets Raw and Personal in Rare Interview: 19 Bombshells on Kate, Their Kids and His Future as King Courtesy of Apple Prince Wi...
