Prince William reflects on effect of parents' divorce on him, Prince Harry

Prince William is finally opening up about the contentious divorce of his parents, King Charles and the late Princess Diana, and how it has had a lasting effect on both him and his brother, Prince Harry.

The latest episode of Eugene Levy’s The Reluctant Traveler sees the Prince of Wales at his most vulnerable and candid moments yet, as he opens up about his childhood, kids, and the future of the monarchy.

At one point, William, 44, reflects on the effect of his parents’ 1996 divorce, which played out rather publicly. The father-of-three began by emphasising the importance of “starting the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home,” otherwise “you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.”

The future king then admitted that the feeling of “warmth…safety, security, love” was short-lived in his childhood, as his parents got divorced when he was just eight years old. His now-estranged brother, Prince Harry, was even younger at 6.

William now has three children of his own with Princess Kate: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. And he wants to do things differently for them.

Despite the mental toll he endured, William emphasised that “you take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t do the same mistakes as your parents.”

He 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.”