Prince William was very candid with Canadian actor, Eugene Levy, for his new TV show, The Reluctant Traveller – sharing a few new details about family life and how they are currently fairing.
He spoke about the future of the Monarchy and his own plans as King, as well as the difficult year the Royal Family have faced, while The King and Princess of Wales have been receiving treatment for cancer.
After a tour of Windsor Castle – which William says he so closely associates with his grandmother, Elizabeth II – the pair end up in the Two Brewers on Windsor High Street for a pint.
‘Was getting drunk in a Windsor pub with Prince William on your bucket list?’ the Prince queried humorously.
Inside the pub, William chose a cider, while Eugene had a Guinness before they got to talking further about family life.
His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wheels.
A new episode of #TheReluctantTraveler premieres Friday. pic.twitter.com/cM2uf3smP5
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) October 1, 2025
The future King described 2024 as the ‘hardest year I’ve ever had’, with both Catherine and Charles being diagnosed with cancer then receiving treatment for the disease.
‘Children are constantly learning and adapting […] We’re a very open family, so we talk about this things that bother us and things that trouble us. But you never quite know the knock on effect its going to have.
‘It’s just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is OK,’ the Royal said sombrely.
‘I think when you suddenly realise that the metaphorical rug can be pulled from under your feet quite quickly at any point, you think to yourself, “It won’t happen to us. We’ll be OK.”
‘But when it does happen to you then it takes you into some pretty, you know, not great places,’ William – who is an advocate for mental health – commented.
Neither The King nor the Princess has revealed the type of cancer they had, nor any specifics around their treatment. Kate, 43, shared she was in remission in January but Charles, 77, continues to receive treatment.
‘Trying to balance protecting the children, Catherine. My father needs a bit of protection but he’s old enough to do that himself as well. But it’s important my family feel protected and have the space to process a lot of the stuff that’s gone on [in the] last year.”
‘Life is said to test us as well and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are,’ said Prince William.
‘Everything’s progressing in the right way, which is all good news,’ he added.
Earlier in the Castle, he also admitted that ‘family stuff overwhelms me quite a bit’, but that the so-called top-job of being King isn’t on his list of worries.
‘In terms of doing the job and things like that, I don’t feel too overwhelmed by that. Umm, not now anyway, when I was younger, yeah there are bits that overwhelmed me… But with time and age I think you feel a bit more settled in that side of things, and you go “actually, I can do that”.’
Levy described the experience as surreal and that William put him at ease chatting: ‘I’m hearing it going, “Wow, this is not what I was expecting from a royal,” But he was trying to make it a casual conversation. He made me feel so at ease with him.’
The programme – relaxed in its tone – shares some lesser known details about the Prince, including a few new ones.
He uses an electric scooter to get around Windsor, given the scale of the estate – ‘it’s quite fun,’ he says, though still describes himself as ‘a late person’.
He and wife Catherine won’t allow their children to have mobile phones yet (George is 12, Charlotte 10 and Louis is seven), but the royal children seem to enjoy rough and tumble.
Louis is ‘obsessed’ with trampolining, which his sister likes too: ‘As far as I can tell, they are jumping up and down on the trampoline and beating each other up.’
But otherwise, Prince George enjoys football and hockey, while Princess Charlotte practices netball and ballet, the father-of-three shares, along with the news that ‘they’re trying to learn musical instruments’.
The Prince queries ‘how successful’ the family is at this, in a lighter tone.
The actor was unaware of the royal guest secured for the show, thinking they might film in the grounds of Windsor.
‘The only thing I knew was when I was on camera filming the episode and found out I got an invitation from him to come to Windsor Castle,’ Levy told Town & Country. ‘I didn’t know he was gonna be on the show.’
He got a tour of the ancient royal residence – William joking that ‘there were probably better people to take you through Windsor Castle than me’ – and took a walk with the family dog, Orla, who tentatively took treats from the newcomer.
Levy was puzzled however why the Prince chose to do the show, which is in its third series as he gets out of his comfort zone and ticks off bucket list items.
A very special guest greets Eugene in London. Oh, and The Prince of Wales is there, too.
A new episode of #TheReluctantTraveler premieres Friday. pic.twitter.com/57jMPTNPYH
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) October 2, 2025
‘I was sorry I didn’t get a chance to ask him why he picked this show for an interview quite this extensive. I wish I had asked him that…’
Indeed, this is one of William’s most candid interviews ever.
‘There must have been something about [the show] or about me that made him feel that this could possibly be a very good vehicle for him to do it. It appears he was familiar with who I am because of American Pie, but there must have been something else.’
The Reluctant Traveller can be streamed on Apple TV now – William features in episode 4.
