He may be royal, but Prince William isn't immune to the struggles other dads feel. The Duke of Cambridge was visiting projects in London which support men's mental health and wellbeing when he met a group of new dads at Future Men charity. The London-based organisation offers support to men and boys and empowers them to make positive choices. In one area, the group of fathers was practising how to change nappies.
William was introduced to Rick Karadia-Hudson, 34, from London, who with his wife is expecting a baby boy in May. As he watched Rick put a nappy on a doll, William said: "It's never straightforward!" He added: "They are so fragile and everything's so tiny, their little fingers and toes, you do feel like if you move them around too much they're going to break almost but they don't." "Yes and they move about so much," said Rick, to which William replied: "Wait till their nine months, then they're off. You've got one leg and one arm!"
William is a proud dad with wife Kate to children Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and baby Prince Louis, who turns one in April. He added: "The fear of having a newborn baby that's very vulnerable and that's what you spend most of your time worrying about, thinking what do I do? And that's the thing isn't it, it's very daunting of how tiny they are when they first arrive."
Earlier this week, the Duchess also opened up about the struggles of parenting, admitting she was "very naïve" as a first-time mum. Kate, who was attending the Mental Health in Education conference in London, gave a speech drawing on her own experience.
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"When I first started out and I've learnt a lot in a short period of time working with organisations, I was very naive myself as a parent, of really just how important particularly the early years are for children's futures," she said. "And how critical it is, everyone looking after children at a critical time, teachers, parents, and everyone who's caring for them, how important it is that we get it right."
"It's never straightforward!" William said
The Duke and Duchess often speak about their children when they're out on official engagements, giving fans an insight into George and Charlotte's hobbies. Last week, Kate was visiting an art class at Alperton Community School in Brent when she said her older children love getting their hands messy. "It's something I'm loving doing with the children – papier-mâché – I forgot how messy it is, but it's really great," said Kate.
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She also revealed that George, in particular, is showing real signs of creativity, with him recently having been inspired to draw with charcoal found in a fireplace at home. She said that her five-year-old had told her: "Mummy I'm going to draw a picture," adding: "That's what's so nice, you can do it from all around you."
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