Prince William may have the all-important duty of future monarch on his shoulders, but being a loving and devoted father to his three children is just as significant to him as his imminent role as His Majesty, the King of England.
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William shares sons Prince George and Prince Louis, as well as daughter Princess Charlotte, with his wife, Princess Catherine (still commonly referred to as Kate Middleton). George is the couple’s eldest (and therefore the current second-in-line to the throne), born on July 22, 2013. The Wales’ only daughter came along next, making her entrance into the world on May 2, 2015. The baby of the family is Louis, who was born on April 23, 2018 — and has been entertaining the world at every public event since.
While the Prince of Wales is usually pretty reserved and on-topic during royal appearances, he has given small glimpses into his and Catherine’s family life throughout the years. And as the kids grow older, they too attend more and more events alongside their parents, giving the world an unfiltered look into their dynamic as a family of five.
One thing William has made clear about his role as a dad is that he’s a proud papa who strives to put his kids at the forefront of his priorities. In 2016, he told the BBC, per The Telegraph, “I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously, and I want to bring my children up as good people.” Elsewhere, he’s touched on making himself emotionally available for the three young royals, worrying about the future state of the world they’ll inhabit, and more.
He may be known to the world as the next British sovereign, but Prince William is also just another dad trying to do his best. Scroll on to read about some of his very best fatherhood moments.
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Adapting to Parenthood
Image Credit: Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images. During a 2016 interview with Vietnam TV, per ABC News, Prince William said of parenthood, “There’s wonderful highs and there’s wonderful lows. It’s been quite a change for me personally.”
The future king shared how much he leans on his wife, admitting, “I’m very lucky in the support I have from Catherine. She’s an amazing mother and a fantastic wife. But I’ve struggled at times,” he said.
“The alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing,” Prince William explained. “I adore my children very much, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and about family just from having my own children. It’s amazing how much you pick up from just in those moments,” he effused.
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Fostering a Stable Home Environment
Image Credit: UK Press Pool/UK Press via Getty Images. “Stability at home is so important to me,” Prince William shared with British GQ in 2017. “I want to bring up my children in a happy, stable, secure world, and that is so important to both [Kate and I] as parents.”
Specifically touching on his eldest son’s upbringing, knowing what his future as heir to the throne entails, William added, “I want George to grow up in a real, living environment. I don’t want him growing up behind palace walls, he has to be out there. The media make it harder, but I will fight for them to have a normal life,” the prince declared.
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Tackling the First Day of School Solo
Image Credit: Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images. Pregnant with Prince Louis at the time, Princess Catherine was sick on Prince George’s first day of school. So, like any decent father and co-parent, Prince William manned school drop-off on his own.
The two future kings held hands as they navigated the Thomas’ Academy in Battersea campus, with the younger of the two looking a bit unsure about the whole ordeal. All turned out well in the end, with William telling the Associated Press so after the school day ended (per USA Today). He funnily (and relatably) added, “There was one other parent who had more of an issue with their children — so I was quite pleased I wasn’t the one.”
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Maintaining Normalcy in a Very Not-Normal Family
Image Credit: Getty Images. Prince William told the BBC in 2016, per The Telegraph, “As far as we’re concerned, within our family unit we are a normal family.” He added, “I love my children the same way any father does, and I hope George loves me the same way any son does to his father, so we are very normal in that sense.”
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Prioritizing Conversations About Mental Health
Image Credit: Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images. During a joint interview with Prince Harry for CALMzine, Prince William opened up about how much he and Princess Catherine value an open dialogue about mental health with their children.
“Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings,” he shared. “Over the past year, we have visited a number of schools together where we have been amazed listening to children talk about some quite difficult subjects in a really clear and emotionally articulate way — something most adults would struggle with.”
The prince continued, “Seeing this has really given me hope that things are changing and that there is a generation coming up who find it normal to talk openly about their emotions. Emotional intelligence is key for us all to deal with the complexities of life and relationships.”
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Doting on His Daughter
Image Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage. While speaking to former footballer Paul Elliott at a Football Association event in 2016, Prince William revealed Princess Charlotte was quite the soccer star from a young age. The proud papa said, “She’s a very good footballer. You hold her hand and she kicks it. [It’s] very sweet” (per Hello!).
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Being an Emotional Support for His Kids
Image Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage. During a Father’s Day event with the mental health organization Heads Together, Prince William revealed the effort he puts into being emotionally available for his kids. “[The holiday] is a time to reflect on my responsibility to look after not just the physical health of my two children, but to treat their mental needs as just as important a priority.”
The future monarch added, “If your son or daughter ever needs help, they need their father’s guidance and support just as much as they need their mother’s.”
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Reveling in His Kids’ Personalities
Image Credit: Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images. “I adore my children very much,” Prince William gushed during his 2016 Vietnam TV interview. He reveled in the change brought to his life and perspective since becoming a father, sharing, “I’ve learnt a lot about myself and about family just from having my own children.”
“George is a right little rascal sometimes, he keeps me on my toes but he’s a sweet boy. And Charlotte, bearing in mind I haven’t had a sister so having a daughter is a very different dynamic. So I’m learning about having a daughter, having a girl in the family,” William explained.
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Balancing His Roles as Father and the Future Monarch
Image Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images. Of balancing his role as a dad with his duty as the future monarch, Prince William told the BBC in his 2016 interview, “I’m concentrating very much on my role as a father. I’m a new father and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously, and I want to bring my children up as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important.”
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Worrying About Their Futures
Image Credit: Jonathan Brady – Pool/Getty Images. During his 2016 conversation with the BBC, Prince William also admitted he fears for his kids’ futures as any parent does. “I worry about the future more. When you have something or someone in your life to give the future to, I think it focuses the mind more about what you’re giving them and are you happy that you’ve done all you can to leave it in a good state,” he mused.
The future king contuned, “I would like them to grow up with more simple aspirations. I think there’s a lot of huge aspirations and people living with an enormous amount of stuff that they don’t necessarily need. The materialism of the world I find quite tricky sometimes,” he shared.
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