A house with three children is bound to be noisy and full of big feelings, and it seems Forest Lodge is no different. Prince William revealed that he “gets all the details” from his children, who sometimes share “too much” about their day and their feelings. On BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks, Prince William joined a panel to discuss mental health and wellbeing, and his children’s mental health came up in the conversation.
“Do you notice that your children talk openly about their feelings, their day, or how they were feeling about a certain thing?” host Greg James asked the Prince of Wales, to which Prince William replied, “yeah, sometimes too much.” The panel erupted in laughter, as Prince William explained he gets “all the details” on his children’s feelings, “which I love, you know, it's amazing.”
Even Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis bring home big feelings, often from school or social events, and Prince William is on-hand to help them work through those feelings. “Being able to understand it, have time with it, decipher it” is part of the process, the prince said. His role as a parent is equally complex, as Prince William shared that he feels “a sense you need to fix it, and that I find quite difficult.” The Prince of Wales told the panel and radio listeners that “you don’t need to fix everything, but you do need to listen.”
“For the next generation, understanding emotions is okay,” the Prince said, before exploring how previous generations approached mental health and how important it is to “break the cycle.” The Prince of Wales hopes that the next generation, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, can learn to speak openly about their emotions and to take time to understand those complex feelings. Prince William told listeners “it’s important to be okay with those feelings.”
