Prince William has spoken about his passion for conservation, and how becoming a father has only strengthened that.
In his first interview as a father, to be aired in full this Sunday night in documentary Prince William’s Passion: New Hope, New Father, the Duke of Cambridge is brought close to tears speaking of his conservation heroes who battle poachers.
“I feel a real protective instinct, more so now that I am a father, which is why I get emotional,” he says.
“The last few weeks for me have been a very different emotional experience — something I never thought I would feel for myself.”
The new dad gave the interview only two weeks after becoming a father, but already he spoke of how his new role had affected him.
“I find, even though it’s only been a short period, a lot of things affect me now — when I see a clip like that there’s so much emotion and so much feeling wrapped up into conservation and environment. It’s so powerful.
“Suddenly you start thinking of like, wow, there is stuff you want to safeguard for the future. I’ve always believed it, but to actually really feel it as well, it’s coming through powerfully now as well.”
The Prince first visited Africa as a teenager and fell in love with it during his gap year, but he believes he inherited his passion for Africa from his mother Diana who was committed to her charity work in the region and he speaks of how she inspires him to continue the work he hopes his own son will be passionate about.
“Helping communities, and helping Africans, as she has done, and did with communities over in the UK, and around the world… it’s about helping the needy and the vulnerable.”
William jokes in the documentary that “the only legacy I want to pass on to [Prince George] is to sleep more and maybe not to have to change his nappy quite so many times”, but says that he hopes he will share his appreciation for conservation and the environment.
“As he gets older I’m sure he’ll pick up the bug of conservation.”
The Prince seems to be easing into his new role as a first time dad, but admits that he needs to take some time out to escape from the pressures that come with royal life.
So how does he relax? Daydreaming of Africa, of course.
“I do regularly daydream, and Africa is definitely one of the places I go to,” he says.
“I’ve got hundreds of animals on my iPhone, so if I’m having a stressful days, I’ll put a buffalo, a cricket or a newt on it and it takes me back instantly to the bush…. It completely settles me down.”
The documentary was made in partnership with the Tusk Trust, a conservation charity to which William is patron, and he and the Duchess of Cambridge will appear at the Tusk Conservation Awards later this week.
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