Just because Prince William is a famous royal in line to be king doesn't mean that he doesn't understand our struggles as parents. Will is actually very open about his life and always willing to crack a joke about being a dad. We've gathered 20 times that Prince William was the most relatable parent around, because he understands all of the struggles we face.
Sure, he has a little more help than the average dad, considering that he has a nanny, and doesn't have to worry about finances โ and can rely on his awesome wife, Kate Middleton, as well, but he has faced more than his fair share of fatherhood struggles while raising his three kids. It comes with the territory of being a hands-on parent.
The challenges of being a new dad
The Mirror reported that William has been honest about how the change from being single to being married with kids was a lot for him. He said he's "struggled at times" as a father, adding, "The alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing."
So true, but he's doing a pretty good job at it.
Being impressed by everything the new baby does
After Prince George was born in 2013, William wasn't shy about being obsessed with everything his son was doing. He bragged that George was very "good-looking" and a very "good crier." Babies can't do much in those early days, so parents have to take pride in what they can.
Worried about how small babies are
"It's very daunting … how tiny they are when they first arrive," William said of having a newborn. "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!"
Ah, yes, we remember this stage all too well.
Practice makes perfect
Kate Middleton recently revealed that she and William were so nervous about Prince George's newborn days that they practiced swaddling on a baby doll. "It just never works out the way you planned it," she joked, before adding that William ended up doing a very good job at the task.
Enjoying breaks
William told CNN after George's birth that he was actually quite eager to get out of the house. "As a few fathers might know, I'm actually quite looking forward to going back to work," he joked. Those early days can be tough, so we're not surprised that William was honest about needing a bit of a break from it all.
... But also feeling weird about leaving George at home
William may have been glad to get back to work in theory, but in practice, it felt a little strange to him. At one of his first royal engagements following the birth of his son, William told an awards show audience, "This is actually our first evening out without [Prince George], so please excuse us if you see us nervously casting surreptitious glances at our mobile phones to check all is well back home."
Bathtime struggles
William loves to crack parenting jokes at his royal engagements, just like he did at the British Sub-Aqua Club after Prince George was born. He joked that "bath time is quite painful" as a parent, "but hopefully donning a snorkel and mask might calm [Prince George] down." We know the struggles of bathtime, and we love that William has a sense of humor about the whole thing.
Having a daughter
According to the Mirror, after William had Princess Charlotte, his parenting methods had to change again. "George is a right little rascal sometimes," Prince William said back in 2016. "He keeps me on my toes, but he's a sweet boy. And Charlotte, bearing in mind I haven't had a sister, so having a daughter is a very different dynamic."
Poor William. Everything he thought he learned with George had to go out the window when parenting Charlotte.
More emotional now
After Princess Charlotte came along, William opened up about how parenthood has made him a more emotional person. "I never used to get too wound up or worried about things. But now the smallest little things, you well up a little more, you get affected by the sort of things that happen around the world or whatever a lot more, I think, as a father," he said.
"Just because you realize how precious life is and it puts it all in perspective. The idea of not being around to see your children grow up and stuff like that."
Watching kids' TV shows
William said that George is a big Fireman Sam fan,and he takes the show so seriously that he makes the whole family watch. "You have to pretend you're really interested because George gets very upset if you're not showing due diligence to the characters," Will said.
Ah, yes, that's us all the time with every Peppa Pig episode.
The importance of Mom and Dad being on the same page
A source recently said that Will and Kate take being on the same page very seriously. "There is no question of one parent saying no and the other saying yes later on, as Kate and William want to present a unified parental front to their children," the source said.
That's one way to ensure that the children don't find ways around the rules.
Trying to keep up with the kids
In 2016, William was the proud father of two young kids, and they were absolutely trying their best to destroy him. "No broken bones yet, but they're trying. Running around, pushing things, jumping. Please tell me it gets easier," William said when attending a rugby match.
Sounds like the little ones were playing a rugby match of their own.
Preparing for a third child
Shortly before Prince Louis' birth, William revealed how he was preparing for the transition from having two kids to three. "Our third child is due in April, I'm getting as much sleep as I can," Will said.
So smart. Unfortunately, that plan didn't totally save him from being an exhausted father of threeโฆ
Falling asleep in church
Two days after Prince Louis was born, William tried to get back to work by attending a memorial service alongside Meghan Markle. But he was just so tired from dealing with a new baby that he fell asleep, and the camera caught everything.
Hey, it happens to the best of us. Don't sweat it, Will.
Sleeping whenever he can
With three children to care for, sleep is in short supply around William's house. Hello! magazine reported that he opened up about being super tired, saying, "With the children, it's quite hard to get the time off [for my hobbies]. Any free time I do get, I sleep!"
Weird, all of our hobbies became "sleep more" when we had kids, too!
When homeschooling was "a nightmare"
As most parents know by now, homeschooling is a whole different type of beast. No parent has been immune to the struggles, not even the celebrities. William joked back in April that homeschooling his three kids was "a bit of a nightmare," and we extremely feel that.
He elaborated further in May, saying that teaching his kids was calling his own education into question. "You start worrying how little you actually know from your school days when you literally can't do the [math] questions at home!" he said.
Dinnertime struggles
William said recently in a Zoom chat that the hardest part of parenting has been dinnertime. "It depends what's on the table. If parents put something on that children love, dinner time goes very well," he said. "But if you put something on the table they don't want, that's another ball game."
Oh, don't we know it.
Eating all the Easter candy
For all the struggles that come with parenting, there are many bonuses as well โ like Easter candy. During a Zoom call for the holiday, Kate joked that William kept eating all the kids' Easter chocolate. We've all been there. After all, kids can't have that much candy in one sitting, and it can't just go to waste.
Getting messy
As William and Kate have been entertaining their kids in isolation, they've all picked up baking as a hobby. Unfortunately, that's given the children access to some pretty messy ingredients. "The children have been attacking the kitchen, and itโs just been an explosion of flour and chocolate everywhere," Will said during a visit to a bakery.
Parenthood is scary
In the recent BBC documentary Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, William said that being a dad has been life-changing for him, but it's also been terrifying and "overwhelming." He added, "It's one of the most amazing moments of life, but it's also one of the scariest."
We think every new parent can relate to that.