London, UK - Britain's Prince William has described the past year, which has seen his wife and father being treated for cancer, as "brutal."

William spoke candidly about the royal family's major health scares, saying 2024 has "probably been the hardest year in my life" and a "dreadful" experience.

The princess has talked about her cancer journey, describing in a video how the episode had been "incredibly tough for us as a family", but this is the first time the prince has revealed his thoughts in detail.

When asked about his year, William replied: "Honestly, it's been dreadful. It's probably been the hardest year in my life.

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"So, 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."

Kate appeared in a deeply personal video with her family in September to confirm her return to public duties following the completion of a course of chemotherapy.

The king's cancer diagnosis was announced in February, and he has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of the disease as an outpatient but will be returning to fuller duties and greater overseas travel next year.

The prince's comments were made in an interview with British media covering his four-day visit to South Africa, which ended on Thursday, to stage his Earthshot Prize in Cape Town.

When told he appeared relaxed, the prince replied: "I couldn't be less relaxed this year."