Prince William shares how grandparents filled the void of parents' divorce

Prince William found warmth and comfort in his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, growing up.

In the October 3rd episode of Eugene Levy's The Reluctant Traveler on Apple TV, the Prince of Wales opened up to the Schitt's Creek actor about the late Duke of Edinburgh’s famous sense of humour, which often kept family gatherings filled with laughter.

“My grandfather was incredibly amusing,” William, 44, said. “Sometimes not deliberately, sometimes by accident!”

Levy laughed as William went on to describe how much warmth and fun surrounded the royal family when Philip was around. The future king noted that while the late Queen Elizabeth also had a “great sense of humour,” his grandfather’s humour was unmatched.

“My grandfather definitely was the one who would create quite a few laughs,” he said. “There was always a warmness, there was always a laughter, there was always a family feel. And my grandparents loved having the family around them.”

When asked if he ever made them laugh, William admitted, “Oh, yes. You had to be careful about your timing. And who it was about.”

Elsewhere in the episode, William admitted that the 1996 divorce of his parents, King Charles III and Princess Diana, meant the feeling of “warmth…safety, security, love” was short-lived in his and his younger brother Prince Harry’s childhood. The now-estranged brothers were only eight and six years old at the time.

Now a father of three himself, William emphasised 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.”