Prince William Just Revealed What Gave Him 'Street Cred' with Son Prince George
Prince William is celebrating his 36th birthday on Thursday by marking an important milestone for armed forces members.
The former RAF search and rescue pilot was on-hand at the official unveiling of a new state-of-the-art rehabilitation center for injured servicemen and women.
The Defense and National Rehabilitation Centre is located on a country estate near Loughborough, Nottinghamshire, about an hour north of London. The $400 million funding for the treatment facility was kick-started with a donation of $90 million from William’s godfather, the sixth Duke of Westminster, who initially came up with the idea for the project. He died in 2016.
His son, the current Duke, is a godfather to William’s son Prince George and was in attendance at Thursday’s event along with senior U.K. government figures, including Prime Minister Theresa May.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
RELATED VIDEO: Prince William Is Making Royal History with His First Official Visit to Israel
In a speech, William revealed that his work with the Defense and National Rehabilitation Centre has given him some street cred with son George.
“I have been the Patron of the DNRC for 4years and I have enjoyed every single moment of it,” he said. “Along the way I have demolished a building — George was at an age at the time that he loved seeing the digger in action, so it did my street cred as a father a world of good.”
Prince George, 4, is a fan of all things that go “vroom.” For Christmas last year, he asked Santa for a police car. And his favorite toy as a toddler was a ride-on fire engine.
Like his brother, Prince Harry, 33, William puts the welfare and rehabilitation of armed forces members and veterans at the center of his public life.
Patients will start to be treated at the center by the end of this year.
