Prince William Shares Emotional Update on Kate Middleton’s Recovery: ‘Our Family Couldn’t Cope Without Her’

The Prince of Wales shared how "proud" he is of his wife during a rare interview on U.K. radio show 'Heart Breakfast'

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William invited Heart Breakfast hosts to the Isles of Scilly for the first live national radio broadcast to take place there
• During the interview, the Prince of Wales praised wife Kate Middleton and shared an emotional update on her recovery following her cancer journey
• The May 22 interview came as William opens a new wing at a hospital on the Isles of Scilly

Prince William gave a rare live interview on Friday, May 22, opening up about how proud he is of wife Kate Middleton's recovery from cancer, and her recent trip to Italy for her early years project.

“She's an amazing mum, an amazing wife, and, literally, our family couldn’t cope with her, so, she's been absolutely stunning, brilliant," the Prince of Wales told Heart Breakfast hosts Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden in the U.K. radio interview from the Isles of Scilly as he visited the remote island community to open a new hospital facility and highlight local projects backed by the Duchy of Cornwall. 

And speaking about wife Kate's recovery and how she was able to make her first post-cancer overseas official visit — to Reggio Emilia — earlier this month, William, 43, said he was “so proud, very, very proud."

"She's been amazing. She's been through so much in the last couple of years, particularly. And yeah, she'd been looking forward to the Italian trip a lot. And so I'm really glad it went really well."

He added, “She wanted to go and do lots of research. She spends, God knows how much time now, looking through all the paperwork. She's a proper pro on early years. Most evenings I’m fighting to get past in the bedroom, what paperwork that she's got lined up, ready to read.  So, I'm so pleased it went well for her, and yeah, I think she came back buzzing.”

William went on to explain that the family will have to continue managing the workload of visits like that saying "away trips like that take a lot out of you … so we have to balance that, make sure she's, she's okay and rested, but she's in good form.”

William also gave a glimpse into the chaos of getting the couple's three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, ready for the morning drop off, saying they'd be listening during their preparations for school. Revealing that George boarded over night at his school, Lambrook, the previous evening, William said, “Charlotte, Louis, if you're listening, make sure you're on time, please. Make sure you're not fighting over who's listening to what this morning."

The Prince —who admitted “I'm definitely not a morning person” — further described the lively moments as they get the children out of the house, adding, “It depends, if there’s a guitar lesson, a music lesson, you've got to get guitar on the car. No, we're not taking the guitar, are we boarding are we not? Seeing friends? No, we're not. So there's all that going on in the morning.”

Then there are the snacks that they might have. Louis “will leave jam fingerprints throughout the car, which is really helpful.”

William, who was on the show to discuss the Duchy-backed hospital redevelopment and broader community projects taking shape across the islands of the coast of Cornwall, was speaking just after he had picked Raye's huge hit "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!" to play on the show.

"Love bit of Raye. Where's my husband?" William said, also revealing it was one of Kate's favorites, too. "As my wife calls, keeps asking, 'Where IS my husband?' ”

That seemed the perfect cue for William to be asked about his journey to Istanbul, Turkey, where he watched his favorite soccer team Aston Villa win a European trophy for the first time in 44 years.  

“I try and remind myself that I am a football fan and I'm just going there to enjoy myself, but then I see the following day and I realize, actually, a lot of people are watching you so stop doing that," he said of referring to the images of him celebrating. "But I got really into the moment, and, you know, I've been following Aston Villa for most of my life, and so it was a huge moment for all Villa fans. and to celebrate Europa League final yes.”

The visit to the Scilly Isles highlighted William’s growing hands-on role overseeing the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate he inherited from King Charles upon becoming the Prince of Wales in 2022. During the broadcast, the future King discussed efforts to support housing, healthcare and sustainability projects across the Isles of Scilly, a remote archipelago off the southwestern coast of England that forms part of the Duchy estate.

He told hosts Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston that he was going to “go and visit the hospital later, which is fantastic. The islands had issues with trying to make sure they've got sustainable long term care here. A lot of time, people had to go to the island, the mainland, and the cost for them, it's a nightmare."

Saying he was "really looking forward to seeing how the hospital's expanded, and having maternity services here now, and more social care," he was also there to "support all the wonderful NHS staff who are down here doing a hell of a job, as you can imagine, with all the conditions they have to manage down here."

William added, “And then I'm going to go and see some housing that we've opened for some essential workers, so it hasn't been built here for nearly 30 years now at the scale we're doing to support the teachers, the firefighters, the nurses, anyone in essential role. So exciting.”

Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden is the U.K.’s biggest commercial morning show, while Heart is the country’s largest commercial radio brand, reaching 12.5 million listeners each week.

The interview was scheduled after William personally invited Theakston and Holden to the island, according to Heart.

“Hi Jamie and Amanda, I’m heading down to the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, on Friday, to see some of the terrific work going on there to support the local community,” William said. 

He continued, “I’m also opening the new wing of the hospital in St Mary’s, which will be a fantastic moment. Amanda, I know how fond you are of Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly, so, it would be really lovely, if you could both come along."

He ended his message with well wishes, saying, "Have a great morning, guys, and I very much look forward to seeing you on Friday. Bye!”

Richard Steel, managing editor of Heart, said in response to William, “We’re incredibly proud to be delivering the first ever national radio broadcast live from the Isles of Scilly.”

“It’s also a real moment for Heart to welcome The Prince of Wales on air for the first time, and we’re thrilled to bring this special broadcast to our listeners as Prince William marks the opening of the new facility at the Isles of Scilly Hospital,” Steel added.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! 

The interview also comes after reports that William is planning to sell around 20% of the estate over the next decade to help fund new projects in housing, plus environmental and renewable energy. 

The sale could raise an estimated $670 million, according to U.K. outlet The Times.

William took control of the Duchy — the estate created in 1337 to provide income for the heir to the throne — after King Charles became monarch in 2022.

On Thursday, May 21, William shared a photo to Instagram of himself touring a new Duchy of Cornwall housing development, which will feature housing designed to address homelessness.

The project — a collaboration between the Cornish charity St. Petrocs, the Royal Foundation’s Homewards program which he spearheaded and the Duke of Cornwall’s Charitable Foundation — will create 24 low carbon, high quality homes for local people.

"Three years ago, we set out to take a different approach, to think more carefully about how the Duchy could use its land to create opportunity and support people over the long term, including launching a project here in Cornwall to help tackle homelessness with the right support around it," he wrote on Instagram.

William continued, "It’s fantastic to come back at Nansledan and to see that beginning to take shape, and to meet some of the people now calling it home. There’s still more to do, but it’s encouraging to see what’s already possible when you bring together the right people, ideas and ambition."

Read the full article here