Prince William and Eugene Levy share Windsor moment as 2024 is called the hardest year yet

Prince William has described 2024 as the hardest year of his life during a conversation with Eugene Levy for Levy’s Apple TV+ travel series The Reluctant Traveler. The Prince of Wales invited the comedian-actor for a private tour of Windsor Castle as part of the program, and the exchange offered a rare glimpse into how the royal family handles pressure in public life.

During the sequence filmed for the upcoming episode, Levy and William ride through a cityscape and then walk the grounds of Windsor Castle, with William quipping that the royal household offers “this service for everyone” and noting that they “do personalised tours everywhere.” Levy, 78, is shown taking in the experience with the sense of a tourist, including an open-top bus ride around London captured in a preview clip released ahead of the episode’s Oct. 3 premiere.

A moment that underscores the episode’s tone comes when Levy is shown receiving an official invitation letter on Kensington Palace paper in his hotel room. The note, dated January 2025 and signed by William, invites Levy to Windsor Castle for a private tour the following morning and signals the personal level of access the show captures as Levy pursues his travel-centric project. The visit appears to blend historic site touring with candid domestic moments, including William and Levy sharing a pint in a quiet corner of a pub after a walk through Windsor Great Park.

In the episode, William tells Levy: “I’d say 2024 was the hardest year I’ve ever had. You know, life is sent to test us, as well. And being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are.” The exchange frames the trip as more than a sightseeing detour; it’s a reflection on resilience, family, and the balance of public duty with private life. Levy responds with humor and warmth, including a light-hearted exchange about the bucket-list experience of sharing a drink with the prince.

The moment fits within a broader narrative around the week’s news about William’s appearance on Levy’s show, which had been teased in trailers released earlier in the month. The previews depict the pair joking about travel mishaps and royalty, and the Windsor sequence adds a new dimension to Levy’s global-tour format by placing a senior member of the royal family in the familiar, informal setting of a king’s residence and a neighborhood pub.

The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy: Living the Royal Life in the UK is scheduled to stream on Apple TV+ starting Oct. 3, with new episodes released weekly through the Oct. 31 finale. The program is part of Levy’s travel-series initiative, which this season takes him to venues that reveal different cultural spheres and personal facets of the people he encounters, including the royal household.

The episode’s release comes amid ongoing public attention to the year 2024 for the royal family. In November, William described the year as brutal, a sentiment tied to public health developments within the family circle and the stress of performing royal duties under challenging circumstances. The broader context includes the royal family’s involvement in public discussions about health concerns; King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis was announced in February of the previous year, with the monarch undergoing outpatient treatment. The family has also publicly discussed the impact of the illness on Kate, the Princess of Wales, who has spoken about how the year’s events affected them as a family. William has spent time away from London in recent days on a Balmoral trip described as a father-and-son break, underscoring the private moments that often accompany public service at the highest level.

The program’s title reflects Levy’s characteristic style as a reluctant traveler who discovers that even the most iconic places reveal personal stories when guided by hosts who share their own perspectives. The Windsor episode is framed as a blend of landmark tourism, intimate conversation, and lighthearted banter, anchored by the shared experience of a pint and a walk through historic grounds.

The Reluctant Traveler: Living the Royal Life in the UK, featuring William and Levy’s Windsor detour, adds to Apple TV+’s portfolio of premium travel content. Viewers will see Levy navigate a country that sits at the intersection of centuries of tradition and contemporary life, with a royal host who emphasizes resilience and the meaning of duty in a year marked by challenge. As the episode unfolds, audiences are treated to a portrait of Windsor through the eyes of a visiting celebrity and a member of the royal family who is balancing public obligations with private moments, including time with family and a few quiet moments with friends.

The show’s release is part of a broader push by Apple TV+ to expand its documentary offerings with high-profile personalities and intimate access to well-known settings. With the Windsor sequence, Levy’s travelogue bridges the gap between a travel show and a documentary-style portrait of modern life in the United Kingdom, where historical grandeur and personal experiences converge on the same stage.

Images accompanying the segment offer a visual record of the visit, including Levy’s hotel-room moment with the Kensington Palace letter and the Windsor setting. The production emphasizes the warmth and humor that define Levy’s interaction with William, and it underscores the program’s aim to blend celebrity magnetism with everyday authenticity. The forthcoming episodes promise additional insights into how public figures navigate life outside the spotlight while remaining centers of cultural and national significance.