Prince William 'incredibly strained' - but new move is a 'positive sign'

He may only be 42 years old, but has already built himself a formidable legacy by fighting to protect the environment, changing the narrative around mental health and doing everything he can to eradicate homelessness in the UK.

While each cause has its time to shine, ’s environmental work took centre stage last week as the Earthshot Prize returned for the fourth time – but that wasn’t the only reason this year’s ceremony had everyone talking. In a rare move, to UK journalists in Cape Town on his “brutal” year which saw the King and the diagnosed with cancer.

Opening up, he said: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult. But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”

Even though many have dubbed this year as another Annus Horribilis for the , the Prince drew on an impressive sense of inner strength to see this Earthshot Prize ceremony through and has been praised for his genuine passion to make the a better, greener place. And, on his journey to do so, it was clear that his greatest inspirations, his three young children, were never far from his thoughts.

The proud dad provided several updates on , 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, during the four day visit, something which former royal correspondent Jennie Bond says is a “lovely touch”.

Referring to the moment William showed off the sweet ‘Papa’ bracelet he was given by his daughter, Jennie told “He was pointedly wearing the bracelet that Charlotte made for him, inscribed with the word ‘Papa’. It’s a very lovely touch from a dad who has spent so much of this year putting his family first – in my view, entirely rightly.

"Like many of us, William is juggling a lot of balls: husband, dad, protector when times are tough as they have been this year, caring son and future King – not to mention his official duties and his various campaigns. There have been times this year when he has looked incredibly strained. So it's good to see him throwing himself into a trip to South Africa with such enthusiasm.”

After speaking about his “promise” not to lose the bracelet from his daughter, William opened up about how he is drumming the importance of being aware of the environment into his young children as he said: “Every family tries to do what they can to sort of help with the environment.

"We go through all the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use and turning off lights when we leave the house and stuff like that, and making sure, which is sensible in what we do around the environment. I think every family has these conversations. You just try to do what you can."

"The Earthshot Prize has got to be a bit more global than that. We are trying to do big scale ambition and big scale business to tackle some of the solutions. But I brought the children along that journey and tonight I hope they are watching and they are proud of what we are trying to do here, which is to really galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make a real impact."

Despite all that has been going on in the background, this year’s Earthshot Prize was a huge success. A practical blueprint for the future, William launched the Prize in 2020 and designed it to centre around five environmental goals – known as ‘Earthshots’ – which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for everyone.

The award will run for ten years and at each ceremony five winners will be given £1 million to fund their ground-breaking environmental work. The first awards were held in London, the second ceremony was held in Boston, USA and the third took place in Singapore.

As the ceremony kicked off for the fourth time, there was another special member of the Prince’s family who was at the front of his thoughts – the Princess of Wales, 42. After an incredibly challenging year, William’s admiration for his wife’s strength and resilience was plain to see as he said she had been "amazing" during her tough year of cancer treatment.

"She's doing really well,” he said in a rare update. “And… hopefully she is watching tonight. So cheering me on. She's been amazing this whole year. I know she will be really keen to see tonight be a success.”

A success it certainly was, as William arrived looking every inch the relatable royal. Walking the green carpet alongside Robert Irwin – son of the late Australian conservationist, Steve Irwin – and actress Nomzamo Mbatha, the Prince looked effortlessly cool as he stepped out in an open-neck shirt, beige blazer and crisp white trainers to present this year’s awards.

There to add an extra touch of sparkle to the evening were the celebrity guests including the likes of model Winnie Harlow, actress Nina Dobrev, model Heidi Klum and South African retired rugby player, Tendai Mtawarira.

It was a spectacular end to a difficult year, as well as a moment that William may have doubted would happen, Jennie says. “There must have been times this year when William questioned that he would be able to make the trip to South Africa for Earthshot,” she says.

“So it’s a really positive sign that we saw him looking so relaxed and clearly enjoying meeting a range of young people – many of them involved in fighting to save the planet. This has been the focus of William’s drive: to get young people on board and actively pursue ways of combating climate change in the world that they and their children will inhabit.

“It is significant that he has decided not just to fly in and out for the awards ceremony – described by his team as his ‘Super Bowl moment’ – but to spend four days in Cape Town bringing as much publicity as he can to the cause. I imagine that if there were to be only one event he could attend during this difficult year – apart from official events such as the Cenotaph Remembrance Day service – it would be Earthshot. It is so very much his baby, his passion and his way of bringing about action, not just words.”

Just like Jennie says, perhaps the greatest takeaway from this year’s awards was William’s dedication towards making the world a better place for the next generation. Having been inspired to focus on the environment by the work of his grandfather, , and his father, King Charles – both of whom he has previously called “pioneers in the environmental movement” – William made it clear he still wants to “go one step further”.

Speaking last year, he said, “I care about so many things and previously the family have been very much spotlighting brilliantly and going round and highlighting lots – I want to go a step further. I want to actually bring change and I want to bring people to the table who can do the change if I can’t do it.”

Much like his decision to face criticism for his privilege head-on, in his recent documentary about the work he is doing to help the homeless, Jennie commends the Prince’s measured approach to all his projects. “I love the way William instinctively turns away from negativity and despair about issues such as this. Instead he looks for positive action. He’s not daft: he knows he can’t save the planet on his own – but he is using his platform to try to find solutions to help combat the environmental crisis.”