Prince William says past year has been "brutal" amid Kate and Charles' cancer battles

London, UK - Britain's Prince William has described the past year, which has seen his wife and father being treated for cancer, as "brutal."

Britain's Prince William has described the past year, which has seen his wife and father being treated for cancer, as "brutal." © GIANLUIGI GUERCIA / POOL / AFP

William spoke candidly about the family's major health scares, saying 2024 has "probably been the hardest year in my life" and a "dreadful" experience.

The princess has talked about , describing in a video how the episode had been "incredibly tough for us as a family", but this is the first time the prince has revealed his thoughts in detail.

When asked about his year, William replied: "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, yeah, it's been brutal."

Kate appeared in a deeply personal video with her family in September to confirm following the completion of a course of chemotherapy.

BREAKING: Prince William describes the past year as 'brutal'

'It's probably been the hardest year in my life' he said.https://t.co/n8PeuAMitV

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/koUILWcqJV

— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 7, 2024

William speaks candidly about wife and father's health scares

The king's was announced in February, and he has been for an undisclosed form of the disease as an outpatient but will be returning to fuller duties and greater overseas travel next year.

The prince's comments were made in an interview with British media covering his four-day , which ended on Thursday, to stage his Earthshot Prize in Cape Town.

So great to see so many brilliant people coming together tonight from across the continent of Africa and around the world to celebrate with us here in Cape Town #EarthshotCapeTown pic.twitter.com/s7DNHQyYgd

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) November 6, 2024

When told he appeared relaxed, the prince replied: "I couldn't be less relaxed this year."