When it was pointed out to him that with his growing beard and a pair of sneakers on his feet he looked more relaxed than before, Prince William was surprised. “It's interesting that you say that, because I've probably never been as relaxed as I have been this year. But in all circumstances you have to know how to persevere and keep moving forward. I love my job, but I also need to make time to spend with my family.” On the last day of his trip to South Africa for the Earthshot awards, the heir to the British crown spoke this November 7 as rarely before to the journalists who accompanied him.
“I am very proud of my wife, I am proud of my father”
In this interview, William returned directly to the year 2024, during which he had to withstand the shock of the diagnoses, almost at the same time, of cancers discovered in his father Charles III and his wife Kate. “Honestly? It's been horrible. Probably the hardest year of my life. Trying to cope with everything else and keep it together, it's been really, really hard. I'm very proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father for the way they handled things But from a family point of view, it was brutal” he admits bluntly.
How then to combine this personal situation with his new status as Prince of Wales? A particular position of next in linewho saw his responsibilities increase in the name of the Crown but also represents his last stage of “freedom” before being king, and required to be more neutral. “It’s a delicate situation,” admits William. “Do I like having more responsibility? No. Do I like having the freedom to found something like the Earthshot? Yes. For me, it's the future.”
The son of Charles III has made ecology one of his priorities, along with helping the homeless. A reflection of his vision and wishes for the future. “With my role and the position that I have, it is very important that I do something for the common good. That I help people improve their lives, do something that is truly meaningful. The Earthshot Prize is a bit of a culmination of it all. This project requires a lot of work, a lot of things happen behind the scenes, appointments, meetings, phone calls and letters to ensure that Earthshot becomes the best organization possible. .”
“We don’t have time to wait.”
The future king also expressed his frustrations about the slowness of institutions regarding ecology. “I would like it to be more of a team effort. But when you approach a company or a government, and you say to them 'look, I'm working on this incredible project, come join us', a lot of people are very responsive and enthusiastic With others it takes more time, and to those I want to say 'guys, we just don't have time to wait…' So yes, sometimes I am one. little frustrated that it takes so long to convince them that this project deserves their attention (…) The important thing is really to have an impact. The efforts we make to increase the visibility of the prize must be. transformed, to increase the visibility of the solutions it provides.”
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