By Katherine Tinsley
1:02pm PDT, Oct 7, 2025
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During an episode of
The Reluctant Traveler,
Eugene Levy asked
Prince William about Kate Middleton's health battle. "We've been very lucky; we hadn't had many illnesses in the family for a very long time. My grandparents lived until they were in the high 90s," William said, referencing the late
Queen Elizabeth and
Prince Philip.
"They were the vision of fitness, and stoicism, and resilience, if you like. So we've been very lucky as a family," he added. "But I think, when you suddenly realize that the rug, if you were, the metaphorical rug, can be pulled from under your feet quite quick at any point. You maybe think to yourself, 'It won't happen to us, we'll be OK.' Because I think everyone has a positive outlook, you've got to be positive. But when it does happen to you, then it takes you into some pretty not great places."
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According to the expert,
Prince William was vulnerable during the chat with the actor.
"Unlike his brother,
Prince William has clearly inherited the stoic gene that he talks about when referring to his 'stoic & resilient' royal relatives,"
Judi James told
Daily Express. "He impersonalizes these rather tragic references by generalizing verbally, referring to how 'you' cope rather than focusing on himself."
"His eyes look down a lot to protect and shield his inner feelings, but when he does look up they are pink and watery, showing a hint of tears that he is clearly at pains to suppress," James continued. "There is a wry smile of fondness as he mentions his grandparents and how long they lived, but we can see the furrows of concern etched between his brows."
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Though
Prince William said it's "great" that Kate Middleton is in remission, he wasn't shy about how it took a toll on him and his family.
"He mimes the rug being 'pulled from under your feet' in what looks like an act of distraction because it's here that the emotions threaten to overwhelm him," Judi James said. "He strives to be seen as positive, tapping his index finger onto the side of his forehead, but the gesture becomes a self-comfort scratching."
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"As he says, you think it 'won't happen to you,' his voice chokes a little and he scratches at his beard in another self-comfort ritual before he clears his throat in a bid to carry on," Judi James continued.
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Prince William cared for Kate Middleton as she underwent treatment, even taking on royal duties due to his father,
King Charles III, also being diagnosed with cancer at the same time.
"William is not a man given to over-sharing his emotions in public, and it's possibly this that makes this moment so unbearably sad to watch," Judi James noted. "He shows vulnerability but without acting vulnerable and instead trying to focus on the positives, but in the end it's the powerful emotions that win here."
