Prince William’s proud father moments – cute nickname, comforting hug and Louis joke

As he turns 40, Prince William is a father to his three children with Kate Middleton – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – and seems very proud of their three little ones

Prince William’s 40th birthday celebrations would have been markedly different from his 30th birthday 10 years ago.

Not least because he has become the proud father of his three children with the Duchess of Cambridge in the last decade.

Prince George, who will turn nine next month, was the first to arrive in 2013, followed by daughter Princess Charlotte in 2015.

After the arrival of little Prince Louis in 2017, his young family seems complete and an adorable photo of William and his children was released over Father’s Day weekend.

And there have been several moments over the years that show how he has a firm grip on fatherhood…

father for the first time

On July 22, 2013, William became a father for the first time when wife Kate gave birth to their eldest child, Prince George.

Shortly after, the public got their first glimpse of William as a father when he and Kate presented their baby to the world.

For part of the photo op, William cradled George in his arms and gushed about how he and Kate “couldn’t be happier.”

He also said the baby “had a good pair of lungs” and described him as a big boy, before Kate revealed William had already changed his diaper.

And after placing George in his car seat with ease, William couldn’t help but smile as he drove his family out of the hospital.

After the births of Charlotte and Louis, William proudly posed with Kate in front of the same hospital with their newborns.

Charlotte’s cute nickname

do you love the royals Sign up for Mirror’s daily newsletter for the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to login .

Like many proud dads, William seems to have special nicknames for his children – and his nickname for daughter Charlotte is incredibly cute.

The cute name was revealed in 2019 when Wills and Kate were joined by their children at the Chelsea Flower Show, as Kate had helped design a garden for the show.

While playing on a swing set in the garden, William called out to Charlotte and asked her to come and give him a nudge, but instead of saying “Charlotte” he called out “Mignonette”.

The French word is said to mean “small, sweet and tender” or “sweet” and is pronounced like min-yon-ett.

George’s football hug

Many people have hobbies and interests inspired by their parents – and it seems that is the case with George.

Both William and George are big football fans – and last summer the pair were spotted attending two England games at Wembley in Euros, including the final.

And in an adorable father-son moment, the pair were caught on camera hugging and celebrating as Luke Shaw put England ahead against Italy just minutes into the game.

But after Italy equalized and England lost a penalty shootout, George looked dejected and summed up the mood in the country as the Three Lions fell at the final hurdle – although dad William was able to put his hands on his shoulders in comfort.

Proud of the balcony

One of the most high-profile events William and his children have attended together is the recent Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

On the final day of the bank holiday weekend, the Cambridges performed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace along with Her Majesty, Prince Charles and Camilla.

And proudly, William broke into a smile as George, Charlotte and Louis waved to the crowd from the palace

He beamed as the trio snapped to attention and joined in the national anthem as they stood next to their great-grandmother, the Queen.

joke about Louis

William’s youngest child Louis arguably became the star of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations with his cheeky antics and funny faces.

The image of him covering his ears as RAF flypast boomed over Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Color made headlines around the world.

And it didn’t stop William from hinting at Louis’s clear enjoyment of the celebrations in a sweet message.

He and Kate thanked the public for their messages of support and reactions to the photos on Twitter.

They wrote, “We all had an amazing time especially Louis…” alongside the side eye emoji as a nod to his adorable demeanor.

Meanwhile, an insider close to William said he “loved” the pictures of Louis, especially the one of him on the balcony covering his ears.

said That of the telegraph Royal expert Camilla Tominey: “It wasn’t like he was being naughty or anything. They were just kids being kids. Of course, as parents, they love to see all the photos the next day.”

Charlotte’s important message

Just last week, William visited the England women’s soccer team at their training base in Burton-upon-Trent as they prepare on home soil for next month’s Euros.

Captain Leah Williamson presented him with three England shirts emblazoned with his children’s names.

He thanked them for the gift and proudly revealed Cambridge could one day feature on the back of a goalkeeper shirt as seven-year-old Charlotte is dying to reach between the posts.

He said: “Charlotte wanted me to tell you that she’s really good in goal.

“She said please tell them that. Rising star for the future.”