Prince William 'struggled with balance of home and work life' in 'hardest year of life'

Prince William said helium enjoyed the state and work successful his caller relation arsenic helium arrived successful South Africa for the 2024 Earthshot Prize awards' glittering ceremony

Prince William has opened up astir however helium has struggled to equilibrium location and enactment beingness successful what he's deemed the "hardest twelvemonth successful my life".

It comes arsenic galore person seen his latest solo sojourn to South Africa arsenic a motion the Prince is entering a caller epoch of his life, having spent the past 2 years successful the relation of Prince of Wales since his begetter became King. William took a permission of lack to attraction for Kate and their children but announced his instrumentality to royal beingness connected overseas ungraded this week with the culmination of the 2024 Earthshot Prize awards astatine a glittering ceremonial successful Cape Town.

The prince heralded the occurrence of the 4th instalment of his planetary biology awards – giving 5 £1million prizes each twelvemonth implicit a decennary for solutions to the astir pressing clime issues, arsenic good arsenic taking the improvement to Africa for the archetypal time.

Royal aides said the travel was grounds of William emerging into a caller epoch of statesmanship, aft being successful the relation of Prince of Wales for the past 2 years since his begetter became King. There is nary uncertainty William has entered a caller phase, from the causes helium has taken on, to his ambitions for the future.

In the past twelvemonth helium has besides launched Homewards, an ambitious five-year task to tackle homelessness. Such projects – and his woman Kate’s crusade to item the value of aboriginal years improvement successful children – look to present beryllium the bedrock of their future.

Asked whether helium was enjoying the work and the state successful his caller role, helium said: “It’s a tricky one. Do I similar much responsibility? No. Do I similar the state that I tin physique thing similar Earthshot, past yes. And that’s the aboriginal for me. It’s precise important with my relation and my platform, that I’m doing thing for good.

“That I’m helping people’s lives and I’m doing thing that is genuinely meaningful. So, the Earthshot is simply a culmination if you similar each that enactment together. But it takes a batch of work; meetings, radical coming in, a batch of chatting and telephone calls, letters, each trying to benignant of marque the Earthshot get to being the champion imaginable entity it tin be.”

William admitted his duties had been a spot of solace amid specified investigating times. Although appearing to beryllium relaxed this week, helium said helium had struggled with the equilibrium of location and enactment life.

He revealed: “I couldn’t beryllium little relaxed this year. It’s much a lawsuit of conscionable ace connected and you’ve got to support going. I bask my enactment and I bask pacing myself and keeping definite that I person got clip for my household too.”

William met inspiring young radical from townships utilizing athletics to assistance themselves from poverty, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. He besides joined supermodels Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow – who presented awards – connected a vessel circuit of the picturesque sportfishing colony of Kalk Bay.