Prince William’s son George not allowed a smartphone

Speaking about the challenges of modern parenting, Britain’s crown prince William said not allowing his 12-year-old son George to have a mobile phone had “become a bit of a tense issue”.

William spoke with broadcaster Luciano Huck in Brazil, where he was traveling to stage the Earthshot Prize in Rio de Janeiro.

In a video Huck shared with his 23 million Instagram followers on Monday, the Prince of Wales spoke candidly about his and his wife’s decision not to allow Prince George, Princess Charlotte or Prince Louis to have a mobile phone just yet.

“It’s really hard,” he told Huck.

“Our kids don’t have phones. I think when George gets to middle school he might have a phone without internet access.”

He expressed concern about the potential for children to see too much inappropriate content online.

“This is getting to the point where it’s becoming a bit of a tense issue. But I think we’re understanding why, communicating about why we don’t think it’s right. And I think I’ve got an issue with internet access again,” he said.

He also revealed that he and his wife Catherine share the school run and attend sports days, matches and garden games with their children whenever they can.

“I’m a taxi driver,” he joked.

“Taxi driver, sports days, matches, playing in the garden whenever I can. School runs most days. So Catherine and I share that. She’s probably doing it.”

Huck asked William about the difficulties he had experienced for his family over the past few years, especially since his father, King Charles, and his wife were diagnosed with cancer.

“Every family has its own trials and tribulations… Sometimes you feel like you’re oversharing with kids. You probably shouldn’t, but often hiding things from them doesn’t work,” she said.

“It’s always a balancing act for me for every parent to know: ‘How much do I say? What do I say? When do I say it?’ And you know, there’s no manual for being a parent. You just have to go with a little bit of instinct.”