The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge cooed over two babies born during the coronavirus pandemic as they chatted to new fathers supported by the charity Future Men.
Joining a video call from Kensington Palace, William and Kate were introduced to Liam Mackenzie, who was born prematurely in March, by dad Graeme, who told them: “His hobbies are drooling… and he’s quite a vocal little chap”.
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“Hi Liam!” said the Duchess, waving. “Is this his first Zoom call?” Told it was, the couple laughed as the little boy stared back at them on the screen.
WATCH: Kate and William coo over newborn babies
William and Kate, who have previously shared their own experiences of parenting Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in lockdown, were also introduced to baby Elliot, who was born in June. His father Peter Sen said lockdown had allowed him to see “every part of his development,” but added that they had missed interacting with other families.
Kate sympathised: “It must be so hard having a newborn over lockdown.”
Graeme, Peter and fellow dads Darren Smith and Sarit Chaturvedi all took part in Future Men’s Fathers Programmes, which help fathers develop confidence by sharing tips, speaking openly about their feelings and reflecting on their own upbringings.
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William and Kate chatted to new fathers supported by the charity Future Men (Image: Kensington Palace)
Sarit said: “You know, any other job you enter, you are shown the ropes. At the time it's completely new to you, it's very scary actually being a parent for the first time.”
William, who visited the charity last year, told them: “I worry an awful lot that there are lots of dads out there who don’t know what to do and don’t know where to go and they may not have such good grounding or foundations or support around them to be able to know what to do.”
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William and Kate cooed over adorable newborns (Image: Kensington Palace)
Darren said: “There’s a lot of men who don’t know about this course and they are interested in being the fathers that they are supposed to be today in this society.”
“It’s a shame it’s not more widely available,” said the Duchess. “Dads play such an important role and it shouldn’t feel a bad thing to reach out for help and advice.”
For more information visit: www.futuremen.org
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