After a difficult year that included both his father King Charles and his wife Princess Kate battling undisclosed cancer diagnoses, Prince William is hopeful the Princess of Wales will join him on royal trips next year.
“Hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up," the Prince of Wales said, as reported by People and following his high-profile royal trip to Africa.
“I’m trying to do it differently, and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” he continued at the time. “I’m doing it with maybe a smaller 'r' in the royal, if you like. It’s more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people.”
The royals comments come after he candidly described what the year has been like for the future King of England and father of three, saying it has been "dreadful" and the most difficult year of his life.
"Honestly? It's been dreadful," Prince William said, according to the Daily Mail. "It's probably been the hardest year in my life."
The Prince of Wales went on to say that "trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult," referring to both his father and wife enduring chemotherapy treatments.
Back in September, Princess Kate announced that she has completed her preventative chemotherapy treatments, but gave no timeline as to when she would return to her royal duties full-time.
"As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment," Princess Kate announced in a touching video shared across the royal family's social media platforms. "The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.
"Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes," she continued. "I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can."
As a sign Princess Kate is feeling more up to royal outings, the Princess of Wales made back-to-back public appearances on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, attending both Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph war memorial in London and the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall.
During both outings, she paid homage to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, wearing a pair of Collingwood pearl earrings that once belonged to the former royal, People reports, on Nov. 9.
On Nov. 10, Middleton wore an all-black ensemble from one of her former mother-in-law's favorite designers, Catherine Walker & Co., People also reports.
