Prince William has admitted that his decision to ban his children from having mobile phones is becoming a "tense issue" with his eldest son, Prince George. During a trip to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize in November last year, the Prince of Wales spoke candidly with TV presenter Luciano Huck while riding a cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.
Parenting challenges
William offered a glimpse into life behind palace walls, describing his hands-on role as a parent. He said: "Play dates, taxi driver, sports days, matches, playing in the garden when I can. I do the school run most days, I mean, Catherine and I share it, but she probably does the bulk of it."
However, he acknowledged that one parenting challenge he finds particularly tough is the issue of mobile phones. William had previously disclosed that none of his children are permitted to have phones, as he is "very strict" on the matter. Kate also penned a personal essay about how screens are ruining real-life relationships.
Phones for George
During the conversation in Brazil, the heir to the throne suggested that his and Kate's position may shift regarding eldest child George, but with a condition. He added: "It is really hard. Our children don't have phones. When George moves on to secondary school, maybe he'll have one with limited access."
"It's getting to the point where it is becoming a bit of a tense issue. But I think he understands why; we communicate why we don't think it's right." William explained: "I think it's the full internet access I have a problem with, children can access too much stuff they don't need to see online but having a phone with text messages, the old-style brick phones like we used to call them, that's fine."
Prince George is heading to secondary school in a matter of months, with a statement released by the Prince and Princess earlier this week confirming that their eldest son will attend Eton College, following in his father's footsteps.
Honest parenting
The interview also saw William speak candidly about his children and parenting, with the TV presenter referencing the "brutal" year the family weathered in 2024, when Kate was diagnosed with cancer. Kate made her diagnosis public in March two years ago before beginning preventative chemotherapy, which finished that summer. At the start of 2025, she revealed she was in remission.
William explained how every family faces its own "difficulties and challenges," and he said that he and Kate had chosen to discuss them with George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Prince Louis in an honest manner. He disclosed: "I think it is very individual and moment-dependent as to how you deal with those problems. We chose to communicate a lot more with our children. That has its good things and its bad things; maybe we share things with the children that we shouldn't."
"But most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn't work and so explaining how they feel, why that's happening, giving them other viewpoints as to why they might be feeling like they are. Sometimes it helps give them a bigger picture so they can relax more into it rather than them thinking what are you hiding, what do I not know, why is that happening."
"There is a lot more questions if there are no answers. But it is always a balancing act as any parent will say. It's always 'how much do I say?' and 'when do I say?' There's no manual for being a parent, you've just got to go with it - and use a bit of instinct."
