Prince William has revealed his plans to change the monarchy – and says protecting his family was the most important thing for him when his wife Kate and father the King fell ill.

Speaking to Eugene Levy for the Canadian actor’s TV travel show, the normally guarded Prince of Wales even name-dropped his estranged brother Harry, as he discussed changes he would like to see from their childhoods.

In what has been called one of his most candid interviews yet, William admitted to Levy that he sometimes feels “overwhelmed” by family matters, and vowed to keep his children safe from any excessive intrusion by the media.

“Worry or stress around the family side of things, that does overwhelm me quite a bit … as I think most people would, because it’s more personal,” the 43-year-old told the Schitt’s Creek star.

But he was less afraid of being king, when his time came.

“In terms of doing the job, I don’t feel too overwhelmed by that. Not now, anyway. When I was younger, yeah, there were bits that overwhelmed me. Like, ‘Wow, are we actually doing this? Is this happening?’,” he said.

“With time and age, I think you feel a bit more settled in that side of things. And you go, ‘Actually, I could do that’. And even if a few curveballs come in, that doesn’t necessarily overwhelm me.”

Last year both Kate and the King, now 76, began treatment for cancer. While the Princess of Wales is in remission, William admitted it was the hardest year of his life.

“Life is sent to test us,” he said. “It definitely can be challenging at times, and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are. I’m so proud of my wife and my father, for how they’ve handled all of last year. My children have managed brilliantly as well.”

William made his unusually frank remarks as he showed Levy around Windsor Castle, the royal home west of London where the King hosted US President Donald Trump only weeks ago. He also took Levy to a local pub.

There were light-hearted moments, with William shown whizzing around the grounds of the 1000-room castle on an electric scooter, walking his dog Orla, and revealing he is a big fan of Levy’s bawdy American Pie comedy films.

The heir to the throne also touched on the intense press coverage of the break-up of the marriage of his father and his late mother, Princess Diana, saying the media was “in everything, literally everywhere”.

“The media was so insatiable back then. It’s hard to think of it now. If you let that creep in, the damage it can do to your family life is something that I vowed would never happen to my family,” he said.

“That was one of the toughest aspects of [2024]. Over and above the illness itself, which is horrible for anybody to deal with.”

The prince said he vowed he would never let the media intrude on his own family.

“I take a very strong line about where I think that line is, and those who overstep it, you know I’ll fight against,” he said.

He acknowledged he had plans to make the role different when he did become monarch.

“I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good,” he said.

“That’s the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical change, but changes that I think need to happen.”

William was open about his desire to modernise the royal family – while maintaining traditions such as his own coronation, Trooping the Colour and other landmark moments.

“I think it’s very important that tradition stays, and tradition has a huge part in all of this,” he said.

“But there’s also points where you look at tradition and go, ‘Is that still fit for purpose today? Is that still the right thing to do?’.”

Levy also quizzed William on what the future of his eldest son, 12-year-old Prince George, as monarch might look like.

“Obviously, I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better,” he said.

“That is caveated with, I hope we don’t go back to some of the practices in the past, that Harry and I had to grow up in — and I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t regress in that situation.”

The episode of The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy featuring the Prince of Wales drops on Apple TV+ on Friday

-with AAP