It's been a "dreadful" year for Prince William, as he recently admitted in an interview during his Earthshot Prize trip to South Africa. The Prince of Wales has watched both his father and wife fight cancer in 2024, but despite his "difficult" circumstances, one royal expert has said Queen Elizabeth would've been proud of Prince William's ability to "keep calm and carry on."
"I don't envy his role at the moment—he's got a lot on his plate," royal biographer Andrew Morton told the Mirror. "Catherine's had a pretty tough time of it. Chemotherapy is not exactly the kind of thing you want to be doing when you're 42 years old."
Morton, who famously interviewed William's late mother, Princess Diana, via cassette tape in the 1990s, said that the Princes of Wales "is handling it as well as you can do when you've got a wife who has been seriously ill and three children who need support and comfort."
Prince William has stepped in for The King during several royal engagements this year on top of his own royal duties, as well as helping out at home with Princess Kate and their children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. "For anyone dealing with a long-term illness, especially in that kind of position, it's very difficult," Morton added, noting that William has had to take on the roles of "father, nurse and Prince of Wales."
Indeed, William told reporters last month that 2024 has "probably been the hardest year in my life" and that "trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult."
While some events had to be put on the back burner, like the Paris Olympics—which Prince William skipped to protect his wife's health—he was able to go on the aforementioned trip to South Africa as well as carrying out engagements closer to home.
The Diana: Her True Story author told the Mirror that Queen Elizabeth shared a close bond with her future heir, and that Prince William shares a similar sensibility of "the show has to go on."
"The Queen always used to say you've got to be seen to be believed, and that's as true today as it was 50 years ago," Morton said, adding, "William has undertaken as many official engagements as he can. But it requires a lot of maturity, common sense and empathy."
These are qualities that the author said were something Queen Elizabeth likely saw in the Prince of Wales from an early age when William used to visit her on weekends while he studied at nearby Eton College.
"They used to chat about his future duties and she prepared him in a very careful way," Morton said. "The Queen was great in terms of character, whether it be horses or people. She'll have seen in William that he was someone who was prepared to sacrifice elements of his own privacy and life to be an active member of the Royal Family, which he's become."
However, the royal biographer noted that Queen Elizabeth knew the burden Prince William would eventually be taking on as Prince of Wales (and later, as King) and was careful to let him ease into royal life.
Morton said The Queen "was very mindful of the fact that these young couples shouldn't have to harness themselves to doing endless royal duties. They can spend a bit of time getting to know one another and enjoy a normal life—and William and Kate for the first couple of years managed that."
Speaking of those duties, the Prince of Wales (along with Princess Kate) will take center stage with The King and Queen when they help welcome the Amir of Qatar and his wife to London on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
