UK's Prince George is a Rascal, New Father William Says

LONDON —  Prince George, the baby son of Prince William and his wife Kate, is a bit of a rascal who does not sleep well and needs to have his diaper changed far too often, his father said in his first interview since the birth.

George, the third-in-line to the British throne, was born on July 22 amid a global media frenzy, reflecting the international popularity of his parents and ongoing fascination with the British royal family.

In an interview with CNN broadcast on Monday, William said the future heir, who weighed 8 lbs 6 oz (3.8 kg) at birth, had grown quickly, describing his son as a “little fighter” who was keeping Kate and him up at night.

“He's a little bit of a rascal. He either reminds me of my brother [Prince Harry] or me when I was younger, I'm not sure,” he said with a smile.

“He's doing very well at the moment. He does like to keep having his nappy [diaper] changed. He wriggles around quite a lot and he doesn't want to go to sleep which is a little bit of a problem.”

Cheers and a barrage of camera flashes greeted William and Kate when they gave the world the first and as yet only glimpse of their newborn son when they left a London hospital the day after his birth. The couple is expected to release another photo of the prince shortly.

William said the experience had been daunting.

“I think I was on such a high anyway and so was Catherine about George that really we were happy to show him off to whoever wanted to see him,” he said laughing.

“As any new parent knows, you are only too happy to show off your new child and proclaim that he's the best looking or the best everything.”

Emotional experience

Kate was doing a “fantastic job” he said, and admitted fatherhood had changed his view of life.

“I think the last few weeks for me have been just a very different emotional experience, something I never thought I would feel myself, and I find, again it's only been a short period, but a lot of things affect me differently now,” he said.

William and Kate, both aged 31, had been expected to be very hands on parents, in contrast with the traditional formal upbringing of British royals, be it changing diapers or the fact William himself drove his family away from the hospital.

Commentators said it was all part of the modernization of the monarchy in the last decade of which William and brother Harry had been at the forefront, garnering support for the royal family which dipped after the death of their mother Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997.

“Driving your son and your wife away from hospital ... was really important to me and I don't like fuss so it's much easier to do it yourself,” he said.

The royal couple had been living in a remote part of Wales, where William works as a rescue helicopter pilot, but since the birth, they have been staying with Kate's parents before moving to revamped quarters at Kensington Palace in central London later this year.

“As a few fathers might know I'm actually quite looking forward to going back to work. I'm just hoping that the first few shifts I go back I don't have any night jobs,” he joked.

Asked if he intended to pass on any of his passions, such as an wildlife conservation, William replied: “At the moment, the only legacy I want to pass on to him is to sleep more and maybe not have to change his nappy quite so many times.”