Catherine, Princess of Wales will "hopefully" be well enough to embark on royal tours next year

Speaking to reporters while in Cape Town, South Africa, for his Earthshot Prize last week, he said: "I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we'll have some more trips, maybe, lined up."

The heir to the throne - who has Princes George and Louis, 11 and six, and nine-year-old Princess Charlotte with Catherine - also spoke of his "different" approach to the monarchy in the modern world, explaining he and Catherine want to be seen as empathetic leaders with less formality.

He said: "I can only describe what I'm trying to do, and that is, I'm trying to do it differently and I'm trying to do it for my generation.

"And to give you more of an understanding around it, I'm doing it with maybe a smaller R in the royal, if you like - that's maybe a better way of saying it.

"It's more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people.

"And I'm also going to throw empathy in there as well, because I really care about what I do. It helps and impacts people's lives. And I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.

"So that's what I'm trying to bring - that's what Catherine is trying to bring as well."

William, 42, has particularly focused on mental health initiatives, his Earthshot Prize competition to save the environment and Homewards, a scheme to combat homelessness, but he isn't sure what he will do next beyond it aligning with his core values.

He said: "Who knows what's going to come next, but it all centres around those values of trying to help deliver change and make those lives better."