Prince William opens up about the 'hardest year he's ever had' in candid new TV appearance

Prince William has made a few TV appearances over the years, but his latest is something many royal fans won't have seen coming in a million years. The future King sat down for a pint with Schitt’s Creek actor Eugene Levy in an episode of the star's Apple TV series, The Reluctant Traveler.

Not only were many surprised to see the future King appear in the trailer for the Apple TV show, but to hear the Prince of Wales speak so openly and emotively about how 2024 was "the hardest year [he's] ever had".

He added, "You know, life is sent to test us as well and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are" - as heard in a preview for the episode which is set to air on October 3.

In March 2024, Catherine, Princess of Wales made her cancer diagnosis public with a heartfelt video. In it, she revealed that she was in the "early stages" of treatment and asked for "space and privacy". Just weeks earlier, King Charles had also announced he was receiving treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.

Like Prince William, the Princess of Wales has spoken candidly about life following her diagnosis and treatment. During her appearance at Colchester Hospital in July, Kate shared insight into the difficulty she faced with life after treatment.

She said, in a video shared by HELLO!, "You put on a sort of brave face through treatment, then it’s like 'I can crack on, get back to normal' but actually the phase afterwards is really difficult."

"The Prince of Wales candidness with Eugene Levy about everything Kate and the family went through last year is heart-wrenching yet important to hear," says woman&home's Royal Editor, Emma Shacklock. "It was so personal, but the Prince and Princess haven't shied away from talking about it since, on their own terms. This helps to raise awareness and reminds people going through similar situations that they're not alone."

Fortunately, there are also some happier moments that capture Prince William’s sense of humor in the previews for the episode. After offering Eugene a tour of Windsor Castle - leading William to joke that "we provide this service for everyone. We do personalized tours everywhere" - the pair take the Wales’s family dog, Orla, for a walk.

The Prince is asked what he does when he’s at home and his answer is very relatable to parents everywhere. Prince William joked, "Sleep. When you have three small children, sleep is an important part of my life."

Speaking to USA Today, Eugene shared his own take of meeting the future King, and revealed that William had seen his iconic raucous teen comedy, American Pie.

"He had seen it with some of his buddies, which was interesting and yet not surprising. It would've been shocking if he had no interest in seeing it," he said, adding, "He's just a regular guy. He just struck me as being so down-to-earth that it just bodes well for the future of the monarchy."