Prince William: Fatherhood has made me more protective

AAP

16 Sep, 2013 04:00 AM2 mins to read

Prince William with his wife Catherine and their baby, Prince George.Photo / AFP

Prince William has spoken passionately about conservation - and how becoming a father for the first time has made him more protective.

In an hour-long documentary, Prince William's Passion: New Father, New Hope, he told of the importance of the "legacy" that he wishes to leave behind for future generations.

William was interviewed at Kensington Palace by documentary film maker Jane Treays, soon after Prince George was born in July.

He appeared moved, not only by footage of conservation workers in Africa but also by a video of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, seen on an anti-landmine visit to Angola.

He spoke of Diana's "excitement and passion" at the charity work she undertook, and said: "I never realised quite how much of an impact she had".

During the programme, he was shown images of rhinos with their horns removed by poachers and appeared close to tears.

"Seeing a badly injured animal such as a rhino, seeing its horn, it's come, for me, to symbolise human greed," said the Prince.

"I feel a real protective instinct, also now probably more so now that I am a father, which is why I'm getting quite emotional about it."

William said he hopes he will pass on his love for endangered animals on to his young son, by "whispering sweet nothings in his ear" about them, and filling his nursery with toy elephants and rhinos. He also hinted that he would one day take Prince George to Africa.

"The last few weeks, for me, have been a very different emotional experience, something I never thought I would feel myself.

"It's only been a short period, but a lot of things affect me differently now.

"It's a daunting task when you realise that you want to pass on things to your son, and suddenly you start to realise 'wow', there's stuff you want to safeguard for the future.