With five years of parenthood under his belt, Prince William is opening up about the advice he wishes he knew as a first-time dad.
Today, the Duke of Cambridge, 36, visited Abbey Centre in London, where he spoke at a program titled “Future Dads.” Hosted by the charity Future Men, the event is designed to prepare soon-to-be dads for fatherhood, and the prince wasted no time sharing relatable parenting woes and confessions.
After admitting that changing a diaper (or “nappy”) is “never straightforward,” Prince William revealed that his least favorite part is clothing the baby. “[The] hardest bit is the buttons,” he said.
Prince William went on to say that he was taken aback by how small newborns are, adding, “It’s very daunting how tiny they are when they first arrive. They are so fragile, tiny little fingers and toes. You do feel like if you move them around too much, they are going to break, but they don’t. Wait until they’re nine months, and they’ll be off.”
The duke also discussed the importance of mental health and encouraged others to embrace this new life change.
“Once the lack of sleep starts setting in, the stress levels go up,” he continued. “From a young age, you’re taught to have a vision, have a plan, have a career and all of a sudden babies come along and you have to start thinking about a lot more. I think ladies are a lot more giving, a lot more generous, but guys, to make a success of whatever we’re going to do, we get into a rhythm. It’s such a change, your whole life goes one way and suddenly you’re told to stop in your tracks.”
Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, have three children together: Prince George (5), Princess Charlotte (3) and Prince Louis (9 months).
So yeah, we’ll take his word for it.
