Prince William is revealing the unexpected reaction he received from daughter Princess Charlotte over his beard.
“Charlotte didn’t like it the first time,” William, 42, said at an Earthshot Prize event in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday, November 6. “I got floods of tears, so I [had] to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, ‘Hang on a second,’ and I convinced her it was going to be okay.”
(William founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, and each year five winners receive a $1.3 million to continue their environmentally focused ventures.)
When told that he seemed “more relaxed” at the event with his newly grown facial hair, the Prince of Wales said that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It’s interesting you say that, cause I couldn’t be less relaxed this year, so it’s very interesting you’re all seeing that,” he responded. “But it’s more a case of just crack on and you’ve got to keep going. I enjoy my work and I enjoy pacing myself and keeping sure that I have got time for my family, too.”
William went on to address the hardships he and the royal family have faced this year, including Princess Kate Middleton and King Charles III‘s cancer diagnoses.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Charles, 75, was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in February. Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales, 42, announced she was diagnosed with an again undisclosed form of cancer in March – two months after she underwent a reportedly “planned abdominal surgery” in the beginning of the year.
“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment,” she said in part in a video statement that month. “But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.”
In September, Kate announced that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment, saying that her main focus is doing what she can to “stay cancer-free” and that she “must continue to take each day as it comes.”
Though she is set to attend the National Service of Remembrance ceremony in London on Sunday, November 10, the Princess of Wales did not accompany her husband on his trip to South Africa. Instead, the royal decided to stay at the couple’s home in England with their three kids: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
“She’s doing really well, thanks,” William told reporters of Kate’s status at Wednesday’s event. “Hopefully, she is watching tonight. Cheering me on.”
He added, “She’s been amazing this whole year. I know she will be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
