Prince William Admits His Children Have Been ‘Asking All About’ the War in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been making headlines all over the world, and even royal children are talking about the ongoing conflict. According to Prince William, the Ukraine situation has led his children to ask questions. The Duke of Cambridge also recently shared how he responds to their curiosity.
The royal family has been supporting Ukraine
After Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, several members of the royal family expressed support for Ukraine.
William and his wife, Kate Middleton, posted a message on Twitter supporting the Ukrainian president. The Cambridges wrote, “In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future. Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.”
On March 2, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles visited a Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in London, where Charles publicly condemned the attack on Ukraine.
The next day, the Disasters Emergency Committee tweeted that Queen Elizabeth II had made a “generous donation” to support humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Prince William has talked to his kids about the war in Ukraine
On March 9, William and Kate visited members of London’s Ukrainian community at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre. There, William shared that even his two older kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, are talking about the war.
“Ours have been coming home asking all about it,” William said (via Express). “They are obviously talking about it with their friends at school.”
Because war can be a difficult subject to discuss with his young kids, William admitted that he has to “choose [his] words carefully to explain what is going on.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton encourage their kids to talk about their feelings
As the crisis in Ukraine shows, Prince William does not seem to shy away from talking about complex world problems with his children. He has shared that he and Kate want to encourage their kids to share their feelings, no matter how difficult.
“Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings,” William told Calm Magazine in 2017. “Over the past year we have visited a number of schools together where we have been amazed listening to children talk about some quite difficult subjects in a really clear and emotionally articulate way – something most adults would struggle with.”
He added, “Seeing this has really given me hope that things are changing and that there is a generation coming up who find it normal to talk openly about their emotions. Emotional intelligence is key for us all to deal with the complexities of life and relationships.”
William and Kate are also champions for mental health. They started an initiative called Heads Together, which aims to encourage conversations about mental health among children and adults.
