William answers his critics

He's heard plenty of criticism in recent months about his commitment to royal duty and now Prince William has answered those who think he is workshy. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he says he does take his duties seriously but is wary of letting them weigh him down. And he said he didn't lie awake at night, waiting to be king.

The Duke of Cambridge in an interview given to the BBC's Nicholas Witchell and first shown on BBC Breakfast

The interview was given to pay tribute to his grandmother as she gets ready to celebrate her 90th birthday and in it he talks about how the Queen has guided him rather than instructed him. And he says that she has shown him how to take a long term view and to grow into the role through her example.  But much of it was about William and how he saw his role now and in the future.

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He told Nicholas Witchell that royal duty was very important to him but it was equally important to 'grow into a role with the right characteristics'. And he also said that 'if you're note careful duty can sort of weigh you down a lot at a very early age and I think you've got to develop into the duty role'.

The Duke of Cambridge talking to Nicholas Witchell for the BBC

He was asked about being a 'slightly reluctant royal' and smiled nervously when the words 'workshy William' were mentioned. His answer was that he would get plenty of criticism in his lifetime and that he is concentrating on his role as a father.

Family first  - William said raising his children was very important to him

And his children were at the forefront of his mind throughout the chat as he told the BBC he wants to raise his son and daughter to be ''good people'' and that not spending a lot of time with them would make him worry about their future. But when asked about how he thought of his future as king, he was less definite saying that he thought about it but it wasn't his number one priority.

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It's perhaps understandable why he shied away from that. As he was at pains to point out, the day he becomes king means a day he wakes up with no grandmother and no father. Given the loss of his mother in his teenage years, it's a very sensitive area. But he was also determined to underline that his grandmother, his grandfather and his father were totally supportive of him and the way he is combining royal duty with parenthood and his role as an air ambulance pilot which he said will probably come to an end when his contract is over.

Prince William during his BBC interview

William ended by saying he is confident he can keep the Monarchy relevant when his time as king comes. In the meantime, he is looking to the example of his grandmother as he continues down his royal path.