Breaking the news that a loved one has cancer is difficult for any parent, but for Prince William and Princess Kate, the mom of three's 2024 health crisis came right on the heels of King Charles also being diagnosed with cancer. During his recent visit to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize, the Prince of Wales opened up about how they've chosen to be upfront with their kids Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. "Hiding stuff from them doesn’t work," William admitted.
But in a new interview with the Mirror, royal author and journalist Katie Nicholl said that the Princess of Wales's royal work has given her a unique background for these types of conversations.
Princess Kate has a strong passion for early childhood development, having launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to help educate families and caregivers. During a 2021 visit to a high school, the Princess of Wales revealed (via Vanity Fair) that a "real passion of hers" is "learning about babies’ brains, about how our adult brains develop and how our early childhood influences the adults we become."
That being said, the Princess of Wales was likely able to dig into that knowledge when it came time to tell George, Charlotte and Louis that she had cancer. "We know that William and Kate have a very honest relationship with their children and they were open with them about her cancer diagnosis," Nicholl told the Mirror.
"Kate is very well-schooled in the early years, and she would have been well-equipped for these difficult conversations," the royal expert added. "I think they did what they could to tell them in a way that children could understand, which didn’t completely terrify them."
The Prince of Wales elaborated on tough conversations with his kids while speaking to Brazilian TV host Luciano Huck in early November. Prince William admitted that "there's a lot more questions when there's no answers," adding, "But it is always a balancing act—every parent knows that."
The Prince of Wales shared that he wondered, "''How much do I say? What do I say? When do I say?'" However, he acknowledged that every parent is winging it to a degree.
"There’s no manual for being a parent, you’ve just got to go with it – a bit of instinct," Prince William said.
