Prince William has described the past year as “brutal” and “probably the hardest year in my life” as he dealt with his wife and father having cancer, writes The Guardian.

In a video interview to mark the end of his week-long visit of Cape Town in South Africa for the Earthshot prize awards ceremony, William was asked about his year: “Honestly, it’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult. But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal”.

Buckingham Palace announced that William’s father, King Charles, had cancer in February. In March, William’s wife, the Princess of Wales, disclosed her own diagnosis.

Catherine appeared in a video with her family in September to confirm her return to public duties after completing a course of chemotherapy. The princess’s message about her cancer journey was spoken over images showing the family and their children enjoying the outdoors, and she said her focus now was “doing what I can to stay cancer free”.

Charles has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of the disease as an outpatient, but will return to fuller duties and greater overseas travel next year.

In the wide-ranging discussion with the British media, William also said he did not like the added responsibility that now comes with being heir to the throne: “Do I like more responsibility? No. Do I like the freedom that I can build something like Earthshot? Then yes. And that’s the future for me. It’s very important with my role and my platform that I’m doing something for good, that I’m helping people’s lives and I’m doing something that is genuinely meaningful. So, the Earthshot is a culmination, if you like, of all that put together”.

William staged his Earthshot prize ceremony in an eco-dome on Wednesday night. He called his environmental awards a “movement for change” and called on the world to join. He said Earthshot carried out due diligence on finalists, enabling companies to “come in and poach what they want” but there was a “reluctance” from some firms to get involved as they waited for “something better round the corner”.