Prince William expected to take paternity leave after the birth of his third child
PRINCE William is expected to take time out from his royal duties to support Catherine and ‘bond closely’ with his newest family member.
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PRINCE William is expected to take several weeks’ paternity leave to support his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, after their baby is born.
The 35-year-old prince took six weeks’ unpaid leave in 2015 when their daughter Princess Charlotte was born.
He had originally planned a shorter break from work, but Princess Charlotte arrived after he had completed a training session ahead of schedule in his role as an air rescue helicopter pilot, and he was able to return to London to support Catherine earlier than anticipated.
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He also took several weeks’ leave in 2013 when their first son, Prince George, was born.
Paternity leave was enshrined in law in the UK in 2003, but news he was taking six weeks off last time invoked howls of protest from the British tabloids criticising his decision.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told News Corp it was “almost certain’’ Prince William would take some weeks off from royal duties.
However, he said William might be constrained in the length of his leave because the Queen had been giving both Prince William and his brother Prince Harry more responsibility.
“Certainly I think the Duke (Prince William) will take some leave, but given the Duke of Edinburgh’s retirement he’s doing far more royal duties now, as is Prince Harry,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.
“He’s doing royal duties that he wasn’t before, but he was previously able to give his family as much time as he could. This is something that he specifically pledged.
“He’s in the habit of doing that (taking paternity leave) and you want to bond very closely with the new baby and I would have thought he will certainly do some.”
Prince William and Catherine became full-time royals in August after the Queen’s husband, 96-year-old Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, retired from public life, and the younger generations of royals stepped up their responsibilities.
Prince William was also expected to be in the delivery room for the birth of his third child, as he was for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
His father, Prince Charles, was the first royal father to attend births, when Princess Diana delivered William and his younger brother Harry.
By contrast, when Prince Charles was born in 1948, his father, Prince Philip, was off playing squash.
Originally published as Prince William expected to take paternity leave after the birth of his third child
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