Prince William says past year was 'dreadful' as his wife, father battled cancer

Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince William on Friday described the past year as "dreadful" to reporters, addressing watching his father, King Charles III, and wife Princess Kate, be treated for cancer.

The comments came during a news conference at the end of a tour of Africa, where Prince William took questions in Cape Town, South Africa.

"It's been dreadful," the heir to the British throne said, according to BBC News. "It's probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult."

The prince praised both his father and wife for making it through the challenging health periods in their lives but not sugarcoating the struggle.

"I'm so proud of my wife, I'm so proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done," Prince William said. "But from a personal family point of view, it's been, yeah, it's beenbrutal."

Prince William has already endured the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a Paris traffic accident when he was young and the family intrigue of watching his younger brother Prince Harry step away from full-time royal duties.

While the family issues have left William with more responsibility than ever to handle royal duties, it has allowed him to create the Earthshot Awards, which recognizes those combating some of the planet's most challenging environmental issues.

"Do I like more responsibility? No," the prince said. "Do I like the freedom that I can build something like Earthshot, then yes."