Prince William revealed today
that his son, Prince George, had an 'easy' start to his school years as
he confirmed pregnant Kate, who is battling morning sickness, is 'doing
well'.
And he admitted that his feisty young daughter, Princess Charlotte, would be 'trouble' when she is older.
Taking
to elderly patients in the frailty assessment unit of Aintree
University Hospital, in Liverpool, the second in line to the throne
discussed his son, four, who started Thomas's School in Battersea last
week.
He told Teresa Jones,
87, from Kirkby, 'George has been really easy. He hasn't said, 'have I
got to do this for the rest of my life?'''
When she congratulated William on his children, he replied: 'George rules the roost but Charlotte's not far behind.'
He
told other patients it had been an 'interesting week'; as well as
George starting school, Kate had been forced to announce she was
pregnant with their third child several weeks early after developing
acute morning sickness.
And yesterday a woman was arrested at George's school, Thomas's Battersea, in a major security alert.
Of the youngster's first day, William told Teresa, 'Most of the parents were in floods of tears. The kids were all fine.'
At
another bedside, he sat next to Edna Dagnall, 75, who is recovering
from a fall that injured her leg, who said she hoped his new baby would
be a boy. He told her, 'George started school -- we are all seeing how
long that lasts before he doesn't want to go!'
Earlier, in the major trauma room
he sat down joked with a heavy metal fan that his daughter Princess
Charlotte will be 'trouble when she's older!'
Cancer Patient Pagan Tordengrave, 55, welcomed him with a handshake and a cheery 'Prince of Hearts!'
When
he apologised for interrupting the work and peace of the trauma room
she said, 'It's a pleasure. You are one of the nicest men on the
planet.'
When
Pagan asked how Kate was, he seemed to suggest she's improving. He
said, 'She's very well thanks. George started school -- it's been an
interesting week.' Pagan said the little prince looked like his dad and
then asked about the youngest member of the family, Charlotte, two.
'She's going to be trouble when she's older, all fathers say that.'
The
Duke was given an extremely warm welcome as he arrived in Liverpool for
a day of engagements in Merseyside on Thursday morning.
Dapper
William, who looked smart in a suit, arrived to formally open the
Urgent Care and Trauma Centre (UCAT) at Aintree University Hospital in
Liverpool.
The Duke, who was
greeted by hundreds of wellwishers clambering to capture a snap of the
royal, met clinical staff and toured the emergency, major trauma,
resuscitation and observation units at the hospital, before meeting some
of the elderly patients at the frailty assessment unit.
As she made a heavy rock hand
sign, he asked if she was into rock. When she said Led Zeppelin and
Black Sabbath, the prince smiled and said he was more 'soft rock,' and
Linkin Park were among his favourites. Pagan, who was with boyfriend
Graham Lee, 50, apologised for her look as she lay on the hospital bed.
'You look beautiful,' William told her, charmingly.
The
new hospital development has a helicopter landing pad integrated in the
design just outside the front door -- making transportation of
critically-ill patients even more efficient.
And
soon after he arrived at the hospital, William admitted the air
ambulance that had landed outside earlier brought a pang of longing for
his flying days. 'It's nice to see the air ambulance. I feel nostalgic
about seeing it,' he said.
William
then rolled up his sleeves for hospital hygiene reasons as he toured
the Emergency, Major Trauma, Resuscitation and the Observation Units.
He
also met some of the elderly patients at the Frailty Assessment Unit at
the new centre that will serve 2.3 million people in the north west of
England.
William, who ended his helicopter
pilot job in the summer, is now working on royal duties full time --
and Thursday showed some of the range of interests and activities that
he champions. After celebrating the work of medical staff and first
responders, he headed to a community hub that works to combat mental
health challenges, which is a key theme of his public work.
Later,
he will head across Merseyside to meet swimmers and divers at the
Guinea Gap Leisure Centre pool - and see some water polo, a sport he
played at school - in his role as patron of three organisations the
British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), English Schools Swimming Association
(ESSA) and Swim England.
Prince
William's appearance comes after Prince George was back in class today
after a female suspected stalker was arrested for attempting to break
into his £20,000-a-year prep school twice in 24 hours.
The
future king was swept into Thomas's Battersea in a convoy of
blacked-out Range Rovers - but it appeared that Prince William and Kate
stayed at home.
Although it's
not clear whether the Duchess of Cambridge, who is expecting her third
child, was due to attend today, she was forced to pull out of planned
public engagements this month due to severe morning sickness.
This new unit includes the addition of a charity funded air ambulance helicopter landing pad.
He also met staff and service users at the Life Rooms in Walton, a community hub run by mental health trust Mersey Care.
The
centre offers group and one-to-one advice sessions on finances,
addiction, and employment and offers a space for groups to meet.
The
work of the trust was highlighted to William when he, along with his
wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, and brother Prince Harry, spearheaded
mental health campaign Heads Together to encourage people to speak about
their problems.
William later
paid a visit to the Guinea Gap Leisure Centre in Wallasey, Wirral, on
Thursday, where met divers from the Merseyside Sub-Aqua Club and watched
children showcasing Swim England's Learn to Swim programme, before
viewing the water polo session.
William and Kate announced last week they were expecting their third child.
She was forced to pull out of planned public engagements due to severe morning sickness.
Prince William's appearance today
comes after Prince George was back in class today after a female
suspected stalker was arrested for attempting to break into his
£20,000-a-year prep school twice in 24 hours.
The
future king was swept into Thomas's Battersea in a convoy of
blacked-out Range Rovers - but it appeared that Prince William and Kate
stayed at home.
The 40-year-old woman was detained by undercover police officers yards from the gates yesterday afternoon.
Teachers
were on red alert after the same woman had been able to briefly talk
her way into the building posing as a legitimate visitor a day earlier.
She
escaped when challenged by staff but was spotted again loitering nearby
triggering her arrest on suspicion of attempted burglary.
The
woman was being questioned at a south London police station last night
and one line of inquiry is that she is a 'fixated individual' who has
become obsessed with the glamorous Royal couple.
A major review was launched last night following a scare experts have called an 'unacceptable breach of security'
The prince, four, who is third in
line to the throne, was not present at the time of either security
scare because as a new starter he leaves at lunchtime.
Today
he arrived in a black Range Rover driven by an unknown man and with a
female passenger. The gates to the courtyard were briefly lifted to
allow the prince into school before the 4x4 drove away.
George's
car was tailed by a second Range Rover which appeared to be driven by a
plain clothes police officer. His parents did not appear to be there.
Parents remained tight-lipped about the security scares.
One
parent said: 'The school have been very clear. We have all been told
not to say anything or talk about anything.' Others ignored questions
about safety at the school.
The
woman was sitting outside Queenswood restaurant in Battersea Square
with two men, one believed to be an undercover police officer, when the
arrest operation began.
At 2.20pm, an unmarked police car sped into the square followed by a police van which stopped outside the restaurant.
Three police officers, two male
and one female, spoke briefly to the woman. She was then searched by the
female officer before stepping into the back of the van.
She remained composed throughout and did not remonstrate with the officers.
One
eyewitness, who was eating at the restaurant, said: 'She was just
sitting there really quietly with two men in ordinary clothes either
side of her. She was completely calm and passive. She seemed completely
unfazed.'
Commanders at the
Metropolitan Police's Royalty and Specialist Protection Unit launched an
immediate review of the security operation surrounding his studies.
But the incident will raise fears of what could have happened had the woman been a terrorist.
One former senior officer last night described the shocking breach as 'very worrying', but added: 'Schools are not fortresses.'
The
prince only started his studies last Thursday when he was photographed
being dropped off at the school by his father, the Duke of Cambridge.
The
Duchess of Cambridge, who is pregnant with her third child and has been
suffering from a severe form of morning sickness, told parents she will
meet them at the gates when she, too, is able to do the school run.
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