Prince William has opened up about his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales's recovery following her cancer treatment, revealing she is gradually returning to royal duties after 'a lot' of difficult months for the family.
Speaking candidly during a special live appearance on Heart Breakfast from the Isles of Scilly on Friday morning (May 22), William said he was 'very proud' of Catherine after her recent trip to Italy, one of her most high-profile appearances since stepping back from public duties during treatment.
Asked by Amanda Holden how he felt about Catherine's tour, William replied: 'So proud. I'm very, very proud. She's been amazing. She's been through so much in the last couple of years particularly.'
'She'd been looking forward to the Italian trip a lot, and so I'm really glad it went really well.'
The Prince also revealed how deeply immersed Catherine has become in her work around early years childhood development, joking that her research papers are now taking over their home.
'She wanted to go and do lots of research,' he said. 'She spends God knows how much time now looking through all the paperwork.'
'She's a proper pro on early years, and so most evenings I'm fighting to get past in the bedroom all the paperwork that she's got lined up ready to read.'
'So I'm so pleased it went well for her, and yeah, I think she came back buzzing.'
William added that the family are still carefully balancing Catherine's return to public life as she continues her recovery.
'I think she's just edging herself back into doing more and more of those trips,' he explained. 'Away trips like that take a lot out of you because you're on sort of permanent receive and send the whole time.'
'So we have to balance that, make sure she's okay and rested. But yeah, she's in good form.'
Prince William also praised Catherine as 'an amazing mum' and 'an amazing wife', adding: 'Literally our family could cope without her, so she's been absolutely stunning really.'
The interview also offered a rare glimpse into life behind palace doors, with William revealing that despite royal duties, mornings at home are just as chaotic as any other family's.
Asked whether he had come straight from the school run, William laughed: 'Yeah, I'm hoping that the children are on their way to school.'
Giving a shout-out to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis live on air, he added: 'Charlotte and Louis, if you're listening, make sure you're on time please - make sure you're not fighting over who's listening to what this morning.'
He admitted mornings can be hectic, particularly when instruments and snacks are involved.
'There's a guitar lesson going on in the morning, a music lesson, you've got to get guitar in the car - 'No, we're not taking the guitar' - and we need to take the bag for school,' he joked.
'There's a lot of jam sandwiches taken in the car usually. Louis will leave jam fingerprints throughout the car, which is really helpful.'
Elsewhere in the interview, William spoke about his love of the Isles of Scilly, describing it as 'a place like no other', before discussing the opening of a new hospital wing supported by the Duchy of Cornwall.
The Prince praised NHS staff working on the islands, calling them 'brilliant people' who 'multi-hat' across several jobs to support the remote community.
He also spoke warmly about family life on the islands, saying: 'Island life down here is wonderfully family orientated and community-based, so people just get on and do their thing and enjoy themselves.'
