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Prince William's Realest Dad Moments Prove He Always Tells It Like It Is

by Vanessa Taylor

It's hard parenting children — especially when your job as a member of the royal family never really ends. For Prince William, the demand to be "on" at almost all times is undoubtedly difficult, but that doesn't mean the prince isn't seen enjoying time with his children. Prince William's realest dad moments show how great of a dad he is.

Thanks to his position as second in line for the throne, Prince William is in the public eye quite often. People have watched him grow up since he was a baby and now as the father he is today. Not only is it an amazing transformation to think back on, but it sometimes seems like it all came about so quickly!

Prince William married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 in Westminster Abbey, London. In 2013 the couple welcomed their first son, Prince George, on July 22 in the very same hospital Prince William himself had been born in. Then, on May 2, 2015, Middleton gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Princess Charlotte. And finally, on April 23, 2018, the couple welcomed their third child, Prince Louis.

Having kids so close in age makes for a lot of interesting moments means there's no shortage to choose from when it comes to Prince William and his kids. Here is a list of some of Prince William's realest dad moments.

He Accompanied Prince George To His First Day of School

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In 2017, crowds lined up outside of Prince George's prep school to welcome the young prince on his first day. And although Prince William and Kate Middleton both planned to accompany their son, as noted by The Guardian, she was unfortunately unwell.

During her third pregnancy, Kate Middleton experienced hypermesis gravidarum, a condition that causes severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and sometimes other complications. As a result, Prince William made the first day of school run solo.

In a visit to Aintree University Hospital, Prince William opened up about Prince George's schooling experience. According to Hello Magazine, he told a patient, "George has been really easy. He hasn't said, 'Have I got to do this for the rest of my life?'"

He Talked About How It's Not As Easy As It Looks

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At times, Prince George looked a little skeptical about the whole "heading to school" thing, which plenty of parents can relate to. Dropping kids off at new places can be stressful and, sometimes, they're just not going for it!

Although it looked like an easy drop off for the young prince, Prince William didn't try to hide the fact that his kids are no exception to this, either. According to The Independent, Prince William said, about bringing his son to school:

It went well. There was one other parent who had more of an issue with their children - so I was quite pleased I wasn't the one.

He's Honest About How Exhausting Parenting Can Be

At a black tie charity event at Kensington Palace, Prince William spoke pretty candidly about fatherhood. The event took place in February, when Middleton was pregnant with the couple's third child. According to ABC, Prince William told guest Raymond Stoner, "Our third child is due in April, I'm getting as much sleep as I can."

Sometimes, people think parenting gets easier after the first couple kids — and that's true, to an extent, but those kids don't go away. Prince George and Princess Charlotte were both young when their brother was on the way, which led Prince William to his next point.

“Two is fine — I don’t know how I’m going to cope with three,” William said, according to ABC. “I’m going to be permanently tired.”

He Talked About His Kids' Fears

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Fun fact: in 2014, Prince William took over his father's role as president of the British Sub-Aqua Club.

At an event officially stepping into his presidential role, Prince William took the time to put on a wet suit and go snorkeling with some kids. The club also gave Prince William an otter t-shirt to give to Prince George, according to E! News, to which he revealed that Prince George wasn't yet a fan of water.

For the moment bath time is quite painful, but I imagine as he gets a little bit older, donning a mask and snorkel might calm him down.

He Bragged About His Daughter's Athletic Skills

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Let's be real, part of parenting is bragging about your children, no matter what.

At a Football Association reception, Us Weekly reported Prince William took some time to brag about his daughter's soccer skills. "She's a very good footballer. You hold her hand and she kicks it," he said, according to Us Weekly.

Prince William went on to praise Princess Charlotte's athletic skills, which Us Weekly says he called "very sweet."

Considering Princess Charlotte was only 11 months old at the time, it's quite the praise.

He Brought Up The Importance Of Emotional Health

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Prince William and Kate Middleton have made mental health awareness a priority in their charity work. All good work needs to happen at home, too, and it seems that Prince William's family is no exception to the rule.

At an event to raise awareness for Heads Together, Prince William's campaign with Middleton and his brother, Prince Harry, to dispel stigmas around mental health, Us Weekly reported that he told the crowd:

Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings. Over the past year we have visited a number of schools together where we have been amazed listening to children talk about some quite difficult subjects in a really clear and emotionally articulate way — something most adults would struggle with.

Out of everything, this commitment to ending the "stiff upper lip" style of parenting speaks to how much Prince William loves his children. He's clearly committed to raising his kids with the tools to succeed in all avenues, including mental health.