What’s this for, Dad?

Press, 14 June 1984, Page 10

What’s this for, Dad?

NZPA-PA London Prince William made his public speaking debut on Tuesday and threw himself energetically into one of his future Royal roles — getting on with the press. As a score of cameras clicked and whirred and microphones were pointed to catch his every word, the Prince, two years old on June 21, showed a keen fascination for the equipment of the press.

A game of football was soon forgotten as the toddler, dressed in short blue dungarees, striped T-shirt, dark blue sandals and white socks, carried out a detailed inspection of the barrage of lenses and microphones. The Prince’s turning of the tables on newsmen came during his latest walkabout at Kensington Palace — arranged to show just how quickly he is growing and the wide range of his vocabulary.

His first word — "Daddy” — was predictable enough.

Then came “ball” and to demonstrate the interest in farming and wildlife expected of a member of the Royal Family, he casually mentioned “tractor” and even "ant.”

But his most conversational approaches —• “Who’s that?” and “What’s that?” - were reserved for the men and women representing the world’s newspapers, television and radio networks.

The Prince repeatedly ran over to have a closer look at the photographers. “He’s really interested in cameras,” said Prince Charles.

“Who’s that?” he said at one stage, looking at one of the photographers lined up on the daisy covered lawn. Spotting a long microphone, he asked, “What’s that?” — and kept repeating, “that, that” until he got an answer.

“That’s called a microphone,” his father told him. “It’s a big sausage that picks up everything you say — and you are starting early.”

Prince William had shown right from the start of the 15-minute “press conference” that he was definitely growing up.

From the moment he walked in through the gate, followed by his father and a proud Princess of Wales, he was showing a healthy curiosity in what was going on around him.

Prince William was not to

be diverted from his new interest —■ the cameras. He walked up and down the line of lenses, and even round the back, and was rewarded wtb a look into the eyepiece monitor of an I.T N. camera.

When the Royal walkabout was over, he left through the gate with his parents, but did not forget to turn and wave to his new friends, the cameramen.