William recalls Kate cancer talk with children

The Prince of Wales described how he and the Princess of Wales approached telling their children about difficult times they have experienced over the past two years, such as Catherine and King Charles’ cancer diagnosis.

“We choose to communicate a lot more with our children…most of the time, hiding things from them doesn’t work,” Prince William said during an interview in Brazil.

“Every family has their own struggles and their own challenges. How you deal with those issues kind of depends on the timing,” he added.

The prince visited the Latin American country for the first time last week for the fifth Earthshot Prize, of which he is the founder and president.

The award recognizes people who have proposed ideas to help solve problems affecting the planet. Winners in each category win £1 million to further develop their ideas.

Speaking to Brazilian TV presenter Luciano Huck in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the awards ceremony, which took place on November 5, Prince William was asked how he and Catherine had overcome the difficulties they had faced over the past two years.

“Sometimes you feel like you share too much with the kids,” said Prince William, father of Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven.

“But a lot of the time hiding things from them doesn’t work, and so explaining what they’re feeling, why it’s happening, giving them other perspectives on why they might feel that way, sometimes it helps to give them the bigger picture, and they can relax more rather than being really worried about ‘what are you hiding from me?’

“There are a lot more questions when there are no answers.”

“But it’s always about balance,” he added, “What do I say? What should I say? When do I say it? There’s no manual for parenting, you just have to follow it.”

The Princess of Wales revealed she was in remission from cancer in January.

King Charles continues to receive treatment.

In the interview, which covered many topics, Prince William also said that he does not allow his children to have phones.

“It’s really hard. Our kids don’t have phones. I think when George gets to high school he might have a restricted phone,” he said.

“It’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a bit of a tense question 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 that’s the problem for us.

“I think kids can access too many things they don’t need to see online,” he said.

He added that he or Catherine took care of the school most of the time and jokingly introduced himself as a taxi driver during a conversation with Huck.

Speaking about the Earthshot Prize, held in Brazil for the first time this year, Prince William said: “We are halfway through the decade that we have identified as the decade of change, where if we want to leave a lasting legacy and truly change the way we protect, restore and live on the planet, we must do it in this decade of change.

“So, am I happy with the progress Earthshot has made and where the world is heading in environmental and climate leadership? Yes, I think we’ve made progress. Is there still much to do? Yes.”

This year’s prize winners included a project to restore rainforests and a global ocean treaty initiative.

After the trip to Rio, authorities announced they would make Prince William an honorary citizen of the city, known as a carioca.