Prince William is one of the most popular members of the Royal Family, but he and Kate Middleton are getting even more attention after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step down as senior royals. Being the future King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, the Duke of Cambridge has been ready to face more royal duties, but there’s one thing that he “hates” about being royal.
An old interview of Prince William resurfaced where he revealed how he feels about balancing his private and public life. Royal journalist Chris Bowlby included a clip of the confession of the Duke of Cambridge in his BBC Radio 4’s 2011 profile.
“I really do want to be in control of my own life,” Prince William said. “And if I don’t agree with what someone’s saying or someone’s pushing on me then I won’t do it. I’m always open to people saying that I’m royal because most of the time I am, but I hate to lose control.”
Despite being the second in line to the throne, Prince William had always put his family on top of his priority list while completing his royal obligations. Five years after his confession, the Duke of Cambridge maintained that mindset of not losing control of his life.
“I’m concentrating very much on my role as a father, and I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously,” Prince William told BBC’s Nicholas Witchell. “I want to bring my children up to be good people, with the idea of service and duty to others being very important. If I can’t give my time to my children too, then I worry about their future.”
Prince William is royal by blood, but he married Kate Middleton, who is considered as a commoner. Since the Duchess of Cambridge grew up in a regular household, the couple may have adapted that to their own family.
“Well, as far as we are concerned, within our family unit we are a normal family,” he said. “I love my children the same way any father does, and I hope George loves me the same way any son does to his father. So we are very normal in that sense. There will be a time and a place to bring George up and help him understand how he fits in the world but right now, it’s just a case of keeping a secure stable environment around him and showing him as much love as I can as a father.”