In his first interview since the birth of his child, Prince William has spoken about his new-found protective instinct and the hope that his firstborn, George, will one day share his passion for wildlife conservation and Africa.
In a documentary to be aired on CNN worldwide on Sunday night titled Prince William’s Passion: New Father, New Hope, the Duke of Cambridge tears up when shown footage of a rhino being butchered by poachers, as he opens up about how fatherhood has changed him.
“I feel a real protective instinct, more so now that I am a father, which is why I get emotional,” he said.
“The last few weeks for me have been a very different emotional experience – something I never thought I would feel for myself.
“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.”
The Duke of Cambridge has a deep connection to Africa that goes back to his childhood, and stems from his father’s conservation concerns and his mother’s humanitarian campaigns.
He hopes that one day his son will carry on the royal links to the country, but for now he just wants George to get a little more sleep.
“At the moment, the only legacy I want to pass on to him is to sleep more and [for me] maybe not to have to change his nappy quite so many times. But as he gets older I’m sure he’ll pick up the bug of conservation.”
In the documentary, William reflects on the deep peace he feels in Africa.
“For me, it’s a sense of freedom. I love the fact you can go into any village in Kenya or the east coast of Africa and just walk in and have a chat with someone and they have absolutely no idea who you are.
“Africa, emotionally and mentally, has affected me. It’s magical. Every time I go back it brings out new things.
“This is a lifelong commitment and I’ll always be involved – no matter what.” Part of William’s link to Africa is through the conservation charity Tusk, of which he is patron. Both he and wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, will attend an awards event for the charity in London on Thursday.
Related video: Prince George ‘a little fighter’.
