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Prince William and Kate Middleton share how they've talked to their kids about coronavirus

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also spoke about the "ups and downs" of quarantine with their children and how home schooling has been going.
/ Source: TODAY

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have not shied away from telling their three children about the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared how they have handled home schooling Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, and how they decided to share the news about the coronavirus threat with them.

"It's been ups and downs, like a lot of families self-isolating," the former Kate Middleton said. "George is much older than Louis is, but they are aware.

"Although you don't want to scare them, and make it too overwhelming, I think it is appropriate to acknowledge it in the simple ways, in an age-appropriate way."

William said that home schooling has been "fun," with Catherine adding that they haven't skipped a day.

"But don't tell the children we've actually kept it going through the holidays,'' she said. "I feel very mean. But the children have got such stamina, I don't know how, honestly.

"You get to the end of the day, you write down all the list of the things you've done in that day. You sort of pitch a tent, take the tent down again, cook, bake, you get to the end of the day, they've had a lovely time. It's amazing how much you can cram into one day, that's for sure."

The children have also joined people across the United Kingdom in taking a moment to clap at night for health care workers, first responders and others who are on the front lines fighting the coronavirus.

William also spoke about his reaction to learning that his father, Prince Charles, 71, had tested positive for the coronavirus. He has since emerged from self-isolation after experiencing minor symptoms.

"I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned, he fits the profile of somebody, at the age he is at, which is fairly risky," he said. "But my father has had many chest infections, colds, things like that over the years. And so, I thought to myself, if anybody is going to be able to beat this, it's going to be him."

The couple also noted the importance of people looking after their mental health during the crisis. They have often used their platform to champion mental health issues through charities and initiatives.

"If we are going to go forward with more time spent in lockdown, then there is going to be an ever-increasing need for people to look after their mental health and take it seriously and also know where to go to get the support they might need," William said.

He also wants to make sure that health care workers don't feel any stigma if they experience mental health issues while under serious strain.

"A lot of them are putting their lives and their health on the line for all of us,'' he said. "But I've also been hearing that there are those working in the NHS who understandably are nervous, are anxious, and this hero tag that we're attaching to the NHS workers, albeit it's totally valid, we've got to be careful we don't alienate some of the other NHS workers who do really genuinely worry and are scared going to work every single day."

With many families grieving the loss of loved ones to the coronavirus, William gave his advice about experiencing that type of trauma. He lost his mother, Princess Diana, to a car crash in 1997, when he was just 15 years old.

"Trauma comes in all sorts of shapes and forms, and we can never know or be prepared for when it's going to happen to us,'' he said. "People are going to feel angry, they're going to feel confused, they're going to feel scared. That is all normal feelings, and that is unfortunately all part of the grieving process."