Prince William has opened up about how he and the Princess of Wales approach talking to their children about challenging family experiences, including Catherine’s recovery from cancer and the King’s ongoing treatment.
During an interview in Brazil, the Prince of Wales explained that being transparent with their children has been key to helping them understand difficult situations. “We choose to communicate a lot more with our children... most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work,” he said.
He acknowledged that each family deals with challenges differently, saying, “Every family has its own difficulties and its own challenges. It’s very individual and sort of moment-dependent as to how you deal with those problems.”
The visit marked William’s first trip to Latin America, where he attended the fifth Earthshot Prize awards. The prize, which he founded, recognizes innovative solutions for environmental issues, awarding £1 million to winners in each of five categories to expand their initiatives.
In conversation with Brazilian TV host Luciano Huck in Rio de Janeiro, William reflected on handling tough moments with their three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven.
“Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children,” he said. “But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work, and so explaining how they feel, why that’s happening, giving them other viewpoints as to why they might be feeling like they are sometimes helps give them a bigger picture, and they can relax more into it rather than being really anxious about ‘what are you hiding from me?’”
He also shared, “There’s a lot more questions when there’s no answers. But it’s always a balancing act — how much do I say? What do I say? When do I say it? There’s no manual for being a parent, you’ve just got to go with it.”
Catherine announced in January that she is in remission after her cancer treatment, while King Charles continues his therapy.
Prince William also spoke about parenting in the digital age, revealing that the children do not yet have mobile phones. “It’s really hard. Our children don’t have phones, I think when George moves onto secondary school then maybe he might have a phone that has limited access,” he said.
He added, “It’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a tense issue but I think [Prince George] understands why. We communicate why we don’t think it’s right, and again I think it’s the internet access we have a problem with. I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online.”
The prince also joked about his role in school runs, describing himself as a “taxi driver” most days.
On the subject of the Earthshot Prize, which is being hosted in Brazil for the first time, William said, “We’re halfway through the ten years that we’ve identified as the decade of change, where if we want to leave a lasting legacy and really change the way we protect and restore and live on the planet we have to do it in this decade of change.
“So am I pleased with the progress the Earthshot has made and where the world is headed in environmental and climate leadership? Yes, I think we’ve made progress. Is there a lot more to do? Yes.”
This year’s winners included a project focused on restoring tropical forests and an initiative pushing for a global ocean treaty.
Following his visit, officials in Rio de Janeiro announced plans to grant Prince William honorary citizenship of the city, known locally as a carioca.
