Prince William Shares Relatable Parenting Blunder When It Comes to Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis

The future king said he asks his three kids what they learned at school every day — and their response is one many parents have heard before

Jan 24, 2025 - 11:52
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Prince William Shares Relatable Parenting Blunder When It Comes to Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis

The future king said he asks his three kids what they learned at school every day — and their response is one many parents have heard before

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales leave after attending the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on Dec. 25, 2024

OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales leave after attending the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on Dec. 25, 2024

Prince William is a royal — but he’s also just a dad trying to get his kids to share what they did at school on any given day.

The Prince of Wales, 42, visited Liverpool on Jan. 23 and spoke with children from the Princes Primary School and English Martyrs Catholic Primary School while there. During the visit, the future king revealed that, after he asks his three kids Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, what happened at school that day, they give a very standard kid response to the question asked by many a parent.

Related: Prince William Jokes His Son Prince Louis ‘Needs a Good Challenge’ While Visiting with Schoolchildren in Liverpool

Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales attend attends the 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, 2024 in London, England

Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales attend attends the 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, 2024 in London, England

After students from the two schools couldn’t remember what they’d learned, William teased, “I ask my children this every day and they always say absolutely nothing at all,” according to Hello!.

That wasn’t all that the prince revealed about his kids on Jan. 23, as William also shared, per The Daily Mail, the cheeky trick that George, Charlotte and Louis play whenever they go on a family bike ride.

While visiting Cycle of Life in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, Prince William smiled as he watched young people build and maintain bikes, even pumping up a bike tire himself (and enjoying hot chocolate!). As he tested the brakes on a bike he worked on, William shared he believed the correct way to stop was “to squeeze both brakes at the same time — putting safety first,” according to The Daily Mail. “However, he said his children like to do things differently, and always skid past him on family bike rides.”

Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince Of Wales is shown how to maintain bikes during his visit to Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation which helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health and their employment opportunities through cycling at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth on Jan. 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England

Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince Of Wales is shown how to maintain bikes during his visit to Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation which helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health and their employment opportunities through cycling at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth on Jan. 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England

Related: Prince William Arrives in Liverpool to Meet with Young People Looking to Better Their Community

“My children quite like pulling just the back brake and sliding along,” Prince William said. “Usually the back wheel will come past you. There is a technique.”

Cycle of Life is a nonprofit cycling organization that launched in 2020 and helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health while also boosting their employment opportunities. The organization, according to Prince William’s office at Kensington Palace, was originally founded to provide equal access to cycling and has expanded its reach to help improve young people’s confidence, build relationships and improve access to the city as a whole.

During William’s visit to Cycle of Life, which is based in the Kuumba Imani Millennium Center, he joined participants to take part in building and learning about maintaining bikes, as well as learning about how entrepreneurial cargo bikes work in action. The organization has reached around 3,850 young people directly with its programs, according to Kensington Palace.

Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince Of Wales laughs as he meets young participants who are building and maintaining bikes during his visit to Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation which helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health and their employment opportunities through cycling at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth on Jan. 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England

Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince Of Wales laughs as he meets young participants who are building and maintaining bikes during his visit to Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation which helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health and their employment opportunities through cycling at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth on Jan. 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England

Prince William was expected to join a short bike ride from the center, but it was cancelled because of heavy rain and wind, The Telegraph reported, with William joking later that he would have “looked like a drowned rat.”

As he pumped up a bike tire and put it back on the bike, he added, “As a parent of young children, I do see the responsibility of looking after things — whether it’s a pet or a kit like this — as part of growing up.”

After being shown how to tighten the wheel, he asked the young people surrounding him, “Are you sure you’re brave enough to ride that now?” per The Telegraph.

Still focused on the rainy weather that day, William mused that the rain and wind in the U.K. could be off-putting, and asked Cycle of Life participants what could be done to make cycling more popular, according to The Telegraph.

Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince Of Wales smiles as he holds a hot chocolate during his visit to Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation which helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health and their employment opportunities through cycling at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth on Jan. 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England

Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Prince William, Prince Of Wales smiles as he holds a hot chocolate during his visit to Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation which helps young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health and their employment opportunities through cycling at the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre in Toxteth on Jan. 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England

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In addition to visiting Cycle of Life on Jan. 23, Prince William also met with members of the Tiber Young People’s Steering Group, took part in a kickabout with young people and met well-wishers in a walkabout.