Key Highlights
- Prince William discusses how he and the Princess of Wales communicate difficult moments with their children.
- The couple does not allow phones for their children except when they reach secondary school.
- Prince William visits Brazil to mark the fifth Earthshot Prize, which celebrates environmental solutions.
- The Prince explains the importance of transparency in addressing family challenges with their children.
Transparency and Communication: A Royal Approach
During an interview in Brazil for the fifth Earthshot Prize, Prince William opened up about how he and his wife, the Princess of Wales, handle difficult moments within their family. The conversation touched on their approach to communicating with their children, who are 12-year-old Prince George, 10-year-old Princess Charlotte, and seven-year-old Prince Louis.
“We choose to communicate a lot more with our children… most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work,” William said. He emphasized that every family faces unique challenges and difficulties, which require individual handling based on specific circumstances.
The Importance of Honesty
William explained the importance of being open about their own struggles with their children, particularly when it comes to health issues such as cancer diagnoses. “Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children,” he noted. “But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work, and so explaining how they feel, why that’s happening, giving them other viewpoints as to why they might be feeling like they are sometimes helps give them a bigger picture, and they can relax more into it rather than being really anxious about ‘what are you hiding from me’?”
The Princess of Wales revealed she was in remission from cancer in January. King Charles continues to undergo treatment.
Technology and Children’s Education
William also spoke about the decision not to allow his children phones, a topic that has gained increasing attention among parents globally. He stated, “It’s really hard. Our children don’t have phones, I think when George moves onto secondary school then maybe he might have a phone that has limited access.”
He added that this approach is not always easy to implement but is necessary for their well-being. “I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online,” he said.
The Earthshot Prize and Its Goals
Prince William visited Brazil as part of his duties related to the Earthshot Prize, which he founded and serves as president. The prize celebrates individuals who have proposed innovative solutions to environmental issues, with winners receiving £1 million each to further develop their projects.
The interview took place in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the awards ceremony on 5 November. William discussed his vision for the Earthshot Prize: “We’re halfway through the ten years that we’ve identified as the decade of change, where if we want to leave a lasting legacy and really change the way we protect and restore and live on the planet we have to do it in this decade of change.” He expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far but acknowledged there was still much work to be done.
Following his trip to Rio, officials announced that Prince William would receive an honorary citizenship of the city, known as a carioca, recognizing his contributions and presence during the Earthshot Prize celebrations.
