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Prince William compares military duties to raising baby son

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Prince William is opening up about fatherhood as he does his royal duties.

At an appearance in Anglesey, where he has been stationed as an RAF pilot since 2009, the second in line to the British throne addressed a crowd at the island’s annual agricultural show, according to BBC News. He also apologized that his wife, Catherine, and new son couldn’t join him at the event.

“I have to say that I thought Search and Rescue duties over Snowdonia were physically and mentally demanding, but looking after a 3-week-old baby is up there!” the prince said Wednesday.

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William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton, both 31, welcomed Prince George Alexander Louis on July 22. Since debuting the little prince a day after his birth, the royal family has made few public appearances, probably because they’re busy enjoying the joys of parenthood. (Though, on Aug. 3, the older prince did participate in a charity polo match in which he scored the winning goal.)

“She and George would have loved to have been here,” Wills said. “He’s pretty loud and of course extremely good-looking.”

The charming new dad also described his son as “lovely,” though his family has suffered a “few sleepless nights,” but said the “new addition [is] sleeping much better now.”

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The Duke of Cambridge’s two-week paternity leave ended last week and he returned to active duty in the Welsh city.

His wife and son are currently residing at Catherine’s family home in Bucklebury, which is about 50 miles from their official royal residence at Kensington Palace.

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On Wednesday, Wills bid farewell to Anglesey, the “special place” where he had been stationed.

“I know that I speak for Catherine when I say that I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey,” he said. “I know that both of us will miss it terribly when my Search and Rescue tour of duty comes to an end next month and we have to move elsewhere.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my wife and me so welcome when we arrived here, as you do thousands of visitors each year.”

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William drew cheers from the crowd when he began addressing them in Welsh, saying that his “pronunciation isn’t great yet.”

“This island has been our first home together, and will always be an immensely special place for us both,” he said. “Catherine and I look forward to returning again and again over the coming years with our family.”

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The couple already has big travel plans for the royal tot next year. The trio is looking to visit Australia and New Zealand in the spring of 2014.

“We’re hoping to go there next year,” William told a couple from Adelaide on Wednesday, Us Weekly reported.

In 1983, William’s parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, took him on a trip to Australia when he was only 9 months old.

Talk about a family tradition!

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