As a parent of two young children not far off the ages of Prince George (3) and Princess Charlotte (1.5), I can fully understand what Prince William was refering to when he spoke about parenthood on a Vietnamese talk show.
The second-in-line to the throne opened up more than we are used to seeing him on the English-speaking show, Talk Vietnam.
“There’s wonderful highs and wonderful lows,” Prince William said to host Tran Thuy Duong.
“It’s been quite a change for me personally. I’m very lucky in the support I have from Catherine, she’s an amazing mother and a fantastic wife.
“I’ve struggled at times. The alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing.
“I adore my children very much, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and about family just from having my own children.”
The Duke of Cambridge went on to described Prince George as “a right little rascal,” adding that “he keeps me on my toes but he’s a sweet boy.”
He has also learned a lot about having a daughter saying: “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.”
Prince William also took questions from the audience, including a 10-year-old curious about how to protect wildlife and how she could help, William said: “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. Are you happy that you’ve done all you can to leave it in a good state?
“I would like [my kids] 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.
“I would like George and Charlotte to grow up being a little bit more simple in their approach and their outlook, and just looking after those around them and treating others as they would like to be treated themselves.”
Prince William was on his first trip to Vietnam to combat illegal wildlife trade, where during his two-day visit he took part in the International Wildlife Trade Conference (IWTC).
