MATT WILKINSON
With Kate by his side at the Royal Albert Hall Prince William’s ‘brutal’ year could finally be about to turn a corner
Prince William now seems far more relaxed and light-footed as Kate's health improves
WEARING a Prince of Wales checked blazer in Cape Town, William showed he is growing into his role.
But his eco-friendly white trainers revealed he is set on doing things differently.
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He has his eyes on the future by bringing 120 children to South Africa for his Earthshot Prize global environmental awards, as future leaders.
But it is the recent past that dominates his today, and tellingly William took a deep breath when asked this week about how he has coped with his father’s and wife’s cancer struggles.
He began his response with the word, “Honestly?” before admitting this has been “the worst year of my life”.
For a 42-year-old man who has suffered in public while his parents divorced then his mother Princess Diana died while he was just a boy, and who has seen brother Harry turn his back and fire barbs at him, all then followed by the death of his grandmother, William’s reply really is saying something.
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He took several weeks off while Kate was recovering from cancer treatment, and was aware of the vile online comments and speculation earlier this year.
The Palace has repeatedly called for privacy and time, and asked people not to speculate.
While the focus so far this year has rightly been on King Charles, and Kate, this is the first time we have heard from William about how he was coping.
And it shows that, two and a half years after William, the then Duke of Cambridge, saying he would carve out “the Cambridge Way”, and 12 months after committing to “actually bring change”, there is something different about this Prince of Wales.
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It is the most candid and open he has ever been about his wife and life.
He said the past year has been “brutal” and “dreadful”.
Prince William opens up about his horrible year, and who cried when he grew a beard
But showing the stoicism of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, he said he had to “just crack on” — and there has been no whinging or moaning.
The key message of his annual Earthshot Prize awards is “optimism” and that is what he seems to be exuding as he now jets back from South Africa to Kate and their three children.
Yesterday, the Palace announced Kate will attend both the Sunday Remembrance service at the Cenotaph tomorrow and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall tonight.
She has been gradually returning to public royal duties following her cancer treatment.
All will now hope that this weekend, with Kate and William side by side at two such important public events, marks the couple putting a terrible 2024 behind them.
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Confident and relaxed
Anyone with family or friends who have cancer will know the disease affects everyone in their orbit.
And at times this year, William, who is very protective of his wife and children, has appeared to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
But since the good news in September about the completion of Kate’s cancer treatment, he now seems far more relaxed and light-footed.
I have joined William for all four of his Earthshot Prizes, in London, Boston, Singapore and now Cape Town, and seen close up how passionate he is about his ten-year global project.
At a summit for the Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife on Cape Town’s stunning harbourside, he admitted he was “spinning a lot of plates”.
While the Palace describes his Earthshot Prize awards as his “Super Bowl” moment’ there has been very little smashed crockery, even a cracked dog bowl.
There was a confident and relaxed manner throughout his South Africa trip.
It saw no huge entourage, overwhelming security or road closures.
Just a father of three committed to his passion project, who appeared to no longer have the weight on his shoulders that we saw earlier this year.
Every day, he wore a “Papa” bracelet made by daughter Charlotte — even though she is less of a fan of his new beard.
People will begin asking what the Earthshot Prize project is achieving as it approaches its fifth year.
Speaking in Cape Town, William himself referred to “frustrations”, and he will ramp up his language in coming years.
After their Caribbean tour in February 2022, William and Kate vowed to change how they worked, to the Cambridge Way.
They wanted to replace big tours with shorter, stripped-back trips identifying a handful of credible causes.
Six months later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge became the Prince and Princess of Wales, when Queen Elizabeth II died.
But the plan remains, and will continue, when Kate returns to full-time work.
Last year, I was in Singapore for William’s Earthshot Prize when he told the UK newspapers who attended that he wanted to go a “step further” than his family has in the past and “actually bring change” by being a “social leader”.
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William wants to take his prize around the world, including to major polluters India and China and also South America.
After recent years, most people will be hoping not only that Kate will be by his side next time, but also the worst year of his life will finally be consigned to the past.
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