Prince William Opens Up About George and Charlotte and Parenthood "Struggles" in Candid Interview

The 34-year-old royal credited the support he gets from wife Kate Middleton, aka Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

By Corinne Heller Nov 18, 2016 9:45 PMTags
Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Kate Middleton, CanadaStephen Lock - Pool/Getty Images

Prince William has admitted in one of his most candid interviews that he has "struggled at times" as a parent.

The 34-year-old royal, father to son Prince George, 3, and Princess Charlotte, 1, made his comments in an interview on the Talk Vietnam show on VTV-TV in Hanoi Thursday, the second and last day of his visit to Vietnam. He is in the country to attend the third International Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

"Well, as the other parents in the room will testify, there's wonderful highs and there's wonderful lows. It's been quite a change for me, personally. I'm very lucky in the support I have from Catherine," William said about wife Kate Middleton, whose official title is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. "She is an amazing mother and a fantastic wife."

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Princess Charlotte's Baby Album

"But I've struggled at times, the alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing," he added. "I adore my children very much and I've learned a lot about myself and about a family, just from having my own children and it's amazing how much you pick up from just in those moments."

William had made similar comments to CNN in 2013, saying George reminded him of himself and brother Prince Harry.

"Charlotte is, bearing in mind I've never had a sister, so having a daughter is a very different dynamic," William said on Talk Vietnam. "So I'm learning about having a daughter and having a girl in the family."

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Prince George Is Prince William's Mini-Me

George, the prince said, is sometimes a "right little rascal."

"He keeps me on my toes," he said. "But he's a sweet boy."

The prince also talked about wildlife conservation, saying he worries more about the future now as a parent, and also said he would like his children 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," he added. "The materialism of the world I find quite tricky sometimes."