Prince William's damning comments about his childhood set to 'upset' King Charles

A royal expert believes King Charles might be "slightly taken aback" by new comments made by Prince William about his upbringing and childhood. Speaking in an episode of The Reluctant Traveller, Prince William sat down for a candid chat with Canadian actor Eugene Levy.

Former royal journalist Phil Dampier believes the King is unlikely to welcome his son's criticism. Mr Dampier exclusively told Express.co.uk: "The king may be slightly taken aback by the frankness with which William has spoken. He may be slightly upset that William has said that he made mistakes. But they are undeniable; we all know that his first marriage didn't work and sadly there are always consequences from that."

William shed light on Charles and Princess Diana's divorce. He explained: "My parents got divorced at 8, so that lasted a short period of time. But, you take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don't do the same mistakes as your parents."

Prince William candidly added: "I think we all try and do that and I just want to do what's best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you're small really affects you when you're older."

The Prince of Wales was also keen to stress to the host the importance of having a happy childhood. He said: "Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important. Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don't start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you're setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.

"And so, it's about making sure that we can look after our families, look after our children, in a way that is best for their future."

Commenting on William's confessions, Mr Dampier added: "Clearly, William and Harry suffered as a result of their parents' divorce and their mother's early death.

"William has seemingly coped a lot better than his brother, but he famously pushed tissues under the door when he heard his mother crying as her marriage to the king broke up. And clearly that is something that stays with you for the rest of your life."

Last week, a trailer for the episode Living The Royal Life In The UK revealed how William also talks about how difficult it was for him last year, when both the Princess of Wales and the King were diagnosed with cancer.

"I'd say 2024 was the hardest year I've ever had," he said.

"Life is said to test us as well, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are."

Episode four of The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy, called Living the Royal Life in the UK, premieres on Friday, October 3 on Apple TV+.