In a candid interview, Prince William from South Africa, where he was in attendance for the Earthshot Prize Environmental Awards.

The Prince of Wales described the year as the “hardest of his life” due to the parallel diagnosis of cancer of Kate Middleton and King Charles.

“Honestly? It was terrible. That was probably the hardest year of my life. So trying to overcome everything else and keep everything under control was really difficult,” he said, expressing pride in the way they both stood up to their difficult health problem.

“I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, the way they handled things,” he said.

Despite his personal challenges, the prince was committed to his visit to Cape Town, where he presented the work of the Earthshot Prize, an initiative that supports global environmental solutions.

During his stay, he met with young people using sport to help them escape poverty, business leaders, environmentalists and the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. He was also joined by supermodels Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow, who presented the awards, in the picturesque fishing village of Kalk Bay, according to the Mirror.

Asked about his role and the freedom and responsibility that comes with it, he said: “It’s a difficult subject. I like the greater responsibility? No. If I like the freedom to be able to build something, like Earthshot, then yes. And that’s the future for me. That I’m helping people’s lives and that I’m doing something that’s really meaningful.”

The heir to the British throne appeared with a beard and wore a friendship bracelet on his arm that read “dad”. He stated that the bracelet was made for him by his daughter and as he revealed, Charlotte doesn’t like his new bearded look at all.