Prince William opens up on family, grief and change, in rare candid conversation: ‘The hardest year I’ve ever had’
By Muhammad Darwish, Max Foster, CNN
London (CNN) — At Windsor Castle, history and tradition are everywhere. But for Canadian actor Eugene Levy, the royal encounter that awaited him was anything but ceremonial.
Levy, known for his role in “American Pie” and the Emmy Award-winning series “Schitt’s Creek,” was filming an episode of his Apple TV+ travel show The Reluctant Traveler, when he received an invitation that surprised even him: a personal tour of Windsor Castle led by Prince William.
William may have arrived on a scooter – the way he gets around the castle – but the exchanges were not just limited to humor and pretty pleasantries. The prince showed candor rarely seen in public.
“I wouldn’t say history overwhelms me. Other things overwhelm me,” William told Levy during filming. “History can be a weight, an anchor. If you’re too attached to the past, you can’t have flexibility. And I like a little bit of change.”
Levy pressed him further. “I guess what you’re saying is you want to open up some…”
“I want to question things more,” William replied.
Inside the nearly one-thousand-year-old castle, William reflected on his late grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. “I do miss my grandmother, and my grandfather,” he said. “There’s been quite a bit of change … Particularly being in Windsor, for me Windsor is her.”
The conversation soon turned to family life today. William admitted that the greatest pressures come not from royal duty but from home. “Stuff to do with family overwhelms me, quite a bit,” he said.
In an interview with CNN, Levy said the conversation went deeper than he ever expected. “He was putting me at ease, and made me feel so relaxed. He’s got an incredible sense of humor,” Levy said.
Levy also reflected on William’s openness about Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and King Charles III, who both faced cancer diagnoses in 2024. William described it as “the hardest year I’ve ever had.”
“It changes what’s … truly important,” Levy said. “And he seemed to indicate it did alter his way of thinking.”
Over a pint at a Windsor pub, the conversation ended on a lighter note. “Life is sent to test us,” William said. “I’m so proud of my wife and my father, for how they’ve handled all of last year. My children have managed brilliantly as well.”
Levy lifted his glass. “Well I’m hoping every other prince I run into is as nice, open, and human as you.”
For once, behind castle walls, the monarchy looked unmistakably human.
The-CNN-Wire
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