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GCSE Results: Record Fall In Top Grades

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 22 Agustus 2013 | 20.49

The proportion of GCSEs awarded at least a C grade has suffered its biggest fall in the exam's 25-year history.

For the second year in a row, the number of pupils given an A*-C grade has dropped - down 1.3% on last year to 68.1%.

The number of A* grades awarded was also lower, falling 0.5% on last year from 7.3 to 6.8%, according to official figures.

The figures show that the overall A*-G pass rate also fell slightly this year, to 98.8% compared to 99% last year.

In contrast to last week's A-level results, girls are still outperforming boys at GCSE and achieved better results at A*-C across every subject.

The national picture emerged as hundreds of thousands of teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their results.

GCSE results Pupils with their results at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple school in Bristol

The fall in top grades comes amid major upheaval in the exam system.

The huge rise in entries by 15-year-old as well as tougher exams were blamed for the dip in performance.

The number of 15-year-olds taking the exam has rocketed by 91,000 in just a year.

In maths, thousands of pupils also sat the exam more than once. Almost 90,000 were entered for at least three and two sat it eight times.

More children took exams in languages and humanities subjects with the overall number of GCSEs taken up 4.2% on last year.

But there was a fall in the number scoring at least a C in key subjects, including English, maths and science.

In English, 63.6% achieved a C or higher, down from 64.1% in 2012, as 61,000 more entries were recorded in the subject - more than two-fifths were from pupils aged 15.

The Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) said there had been "significant early and repeated entries" in maths, with more than half a million before the summer exams.

Results for 16-year-olds were "virtually unchanged" but those for 15-year-olds showed a decline. Overall, 57.6% of entries scored A*-C - down from 58.4%.

Moves by Ofqual to toughen up qualifications prompted a 7.6% fall in the number of entries achieving a top grade in science.

This is the first summer results have been given for the revamped GCSEs, which were changed after a 2009 report by the regulator found they were too easy.

There was a "dramatic" rise in entry levels for modern languages, with French up 15.5%, German up 9.4% and Spanish up 25.8%.

This could be due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, which is awarded to pupils with at least a C in English, maths, science, history or geography and a foreign language.

JCQ director Michael Turner said: "This year's upturn in languages will be welcomed across the education sector and beyond. Not since 2008 have there been this many entries in languages.

"However, it remains to be seen if this is the start of a trend and if more students decide to continue to study a language at A-level."

Education Secretary Michael Gove Major overhaul: Michael Gove

Education Minister Elizabeth Truss insisted the results showed that the Government's new English Baccalaureate (EBacc) has "not just arrested the decline in the study of academic subjects at GCSE, it is reversing it".

She said: "It is very pleasing to see the increase in these important subjects - the ones that will keep pupils' options open in the future.

"I am particularly delighted to see a languages revival - with an increase in the number of entries to French, German and Spanish GCSEs after years of decline."

However, experts raised concerns about the number of 15-year-olds taking the exams and over repeat entries.

Andrew Hall of the exam board AQA asked: "Why oh why do we now got a significant increase in 15-year-olds taking GCSE?"

He also warned pupils making multiple entries was "really damaging education in this country".

Mark Dawe, from another exam board OCR, added: "Early entry does not benefit the students. The results are far lower for 15-year-olds.

"These qualifications are designed for 16-year-olds. Students should be left to learn for those two years and that is what we would encourage."

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "Michael Gove needs to get a grip on the multiple entry exam practice that is distorting standards."

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "People's confidence in the GCSE was severely knocked last year.

"That's why they've done things like trying out IGCSE, multiple entry, early entry - all of these things to try and bring more opportunities to get young people good grades.

"I'm not saying we should be doing that but I'm saying it's understandable."


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Syria: Call For 'Force' If Chemicals Proven

France is seeking a reaction with "force" if a massacre in Syria involving chemical weapons is confirmed, its foreign minister has said.

"If it is proven, France's position is that there must be a reaction, a reaction that could take the form of a reaction with force," Laurent Fabius told BFM-TV.

"There are possibilities for responding," he said without elaborating.

He added that if the UN Security Council could not make a decision, one would have to be taken "in other ways".

The Syrian government has been urged to allow UN inspectors to visit the site where it is claimed more than 1,300 people died in a chemical weapons attack.

The National Coalition claims toxic gas was used by President Bashar al Assad's forces during a bombardment of rebel-held areas outside Damascus.

It said the death toll was likely to rise after a neighbourhood with many casualties was discovered in Zamalka.

Government officials said the claims were "totally false" and the international news organisations reporting them were "implicated in the shedding of Syrian blood and support terrorism".

Damascus The attacks are alleged to have taken place in Ein Tarma and Zamalka

A spokesperson from the British Foreign Office said: "Our immediate priority is to verify the facts and ensure the UN  team is granted access to investigate these latest reports.

"We believe a political solution is the best way to end the bloodshed. However, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have said many times we cannot rule out any option, in accordance with international law, that might save innocent lives in Syria."

But Turkey's deputy prime minister has said only the government is in possession of the type of chemical weapons the opposition claim were used in the attack.

Its foreign minister said "a red line" had been crossed.

Iran, Syria's chief regional ally, has rejected claims that the regime was responsible, saying if such an attack was proven it would be down to the rebels, IRNA news agency said.

The incident comes just days after a 20-strong team of UN weapons inspectors arrived in the capital to investigate whether chemical weapons have been used in the conflict.

A survivor from what activists say is a gas attack rests inside a mosque in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus A survivor rests inside a mosque near Damascus

And following an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, said: "We very much hope that we will be able to conduct the investigation.

"Dr Sellstrom and his team are in place in Damascus.  We hope that they will be given access to the area by the government  - it's a requirement of consent in situations like this.

"And that also the security situation will allow them to enter the area.

"The Secretary-General has already expressed his preparedness to conduct the investigation.

"We are in contact with the Syrian government - we hope that all other parties will co-operate so that we conduct the investigation and we hope that everybody realises the importance of ceasing hostilities."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged international supporters of the Syrian regime to "wake up to ... its murderous and barbaric nature" ahead of the UN meeting.

However Russia, which has supported the regime and vetoed past attempts to secure a tough UN resolution, suggested the attack could be a "premeditated provocation" by opposition forces.

Officials from Russia and China are reported to have blocked a stronger press statement supported by Britain, France, the US and others.

Earlier, Mr Hague said that if verified, the attack "would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria".

He added: "Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them, should be in no doubt that we will work in every way we can to hold them to account."

Unverified footage of casualties, including children, in makeshift hospitals suffering convulsions and breathing difficulties was circulated on YouTube.

Syria is thought to have some of the world's largest stocks of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve agent sarin, but the government in Damascus refuses to confirm this is the case.

On Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed government forces carried out air raids and shelling in an area near where the alleged chemical attack was launched.

"Warplanes carried out several raids this morning on Khan al Sheikh and Zamalka, wounding several people" and sparking fierce clashes, the monitoring group said.

Their claims have not been independently verified.


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Jermain Defoe Cousin's Pool Death A 'Mystery'

The mother of England footballer Jermain Defoe's cousin, who was electrocuted in a hotel swimming pool in St Lucia, has begged to be told the "truth" about her daughter's death.

Hannah Defoe, 20, was killed after diving into the water while on holiday on the Caribbean island last summer - just three weeks before her 21st birthday.

Hope Defoe, 50, clutched a picture of her daughter as she told an inquest relatives had been fobbed off with '"excuses" from St Lucian authorities for more than a year.

She wept as she described how relatives had battled for more than an hour to rescue her daughter from the electrified water.

In her quest for answers Mrs Defoe emailed an official in the island's tourism department.

She wrote: "You were all so kind and gracious when we were in St Lucia, promising to help us, but we have been abandoned.

"We haven't even been told if anybody has been charged. Look your daughter in the eye and then imagine her electrocuted and lying in a pool, at the bottom, for an hour and a half while you and others are suffering electric shocks as you try to rescue her.

"Now imagine nobody tells you how or why that happened but fobs you off with polite excuses."

Jermain Defoe. Jermain Defoe

Ms Defoe, an aspiring actress, was on holiday as a reward for her hard work during her first year at the Performers College in Essex when she was killed.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Defoe was on the club's pre-season tour of America when he was told about her death. He was allowed to return to the UK to be with his family.

Hannah's parents, who travelled to St Lucia the day after the tragedy, were assured by senior officials that a full and proper investigation would take place.

They were told the electricity board had previously informed the hotel owner of the existence of a fault but that it had not been fixed

But the findings from any investigation by authorities in the Caribbean have not been disclosed to the Defoe family.

The coroner adjourned proceedings until next March to await the receipt of vital documents from St Lucia.

The student's death is one of a number of losses suffered by footballer Defoe, 30.

He flew home from England's Euro 2012 camp in Poland last June following the death of his 49-year-old father Jimmy from throat cancer.

In 2009 his half-brother Jade, 26, died after falling into a coma following a street attack in east London.


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Manning Says He Wants To Live As Woman

Bradley Manning, the US soldier sentenced for leaking classified documents, has said he wants to live the rest of his life as a woman.

"As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me.

"I am Chelsea Manning. I am female," Manning said in a statement to NBC.

"Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible.

Manning arrives for sentencing at Fort Meade Manning will serve his sentence in a military prison

"I hope that you will support me in this transition.

"I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun (except in official mail to the confinement facility)," the statement read.

Manning, 25, signed the letter "Chelsea E. Manning".

The confession came a day after Manning was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison for turning over classified files to WikiLeaks in the biggest breach of secret data in US history.

He had been found guilty of 20 charges ranging from espionage to theft for leaking more than 700,000 documents to the whistle-blowing website while working in Iraq in 2010.

The prosecution had sought to portray him as a traitor, asking for at least a 60-year term.

But he was not convicted of the more serious crime of aiding the enemy, which could have carried a life sentence without parole.

Julian Assange Julian Assange has called the sentence a 'tactical victory'

Manning will be eligible for parole within nine years.

His lawyers argued during the trial that Manning suffered extreme inner turmoil over his gender identity - his feeling that he was a woman trapped in a man's body - while serving in the macho military, which at the time barred gays from serving openly.

Among the evidence was a photo of him in a blonde wig and lipstick.

The defence team also maintained he was an idealistic soldier who wanted to expose brutal truths about America's military and diplomatic corps, and generate debate over the wars and US policy.

During the sentencing phase, he apologised for the damage he caused, saying: "When I made these decisions, I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people."

Protestors hold balloons placards calling for the release for Pfc. Bradley Manning Manning supporters have called for his release

His lawyer said after the sentencing that Manning plans to send a letter to Barack Obama to request a presidential pardon.

"If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society," said the text of the letter.

"I will gladly pay that price if it means we could have a country that is truly conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all women and men are created equal."

Manning is to serve his sentence in Fort Leavenworth, home to the American military's most famous prison.


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Taxi Crash: 'Devastated' Father Flies To US

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 21 Agustus 2013 | 20.49

The father of a British woman who had part of her leg severed by a New York taxi says the family is "devastated" by what happened.

Sian Green, 23, suffered the leg injury when a yellow taxi mounted the pavement in the centre of New York and struck her.

Sian Green Sian Green was with a friend when she was hit. Pic: Instagram

"We are a really close family we are all devastated by what has happened," her father Jason told the Leicester Mercury.

"We don't know what to say.

"We just want to be at our daughter's side right now," he said, adding that he is flying to New York to keep a bedside vigil.

He added: "She is in recovery now, and they have had to amputate what's left of her foot."

British tourist Sian Green 23 leg severed by New York taxi A street vendor helps by packing the severed foot with ice. Pic: NBC

The cab hit a cyclist and then ploughed into Ms Green in front of a fountain outside the Rockefeller Center at 49th Street, news reports say.

Ms Green was walking down the road with her friend, eating a hot dog she had just bought nearby, when she was hit, according to the New York Post, which cited witnesses.

Among those who helped the victim was also celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who records his talk show in a nearby studio.

Dr Mehmet Oz and David Justino helped save a British tourist hit by a New York Taxi Dr Mehmet OZ and plumber David Justino. Pic. Facebook

Dr Oz said emergency medical crews were already treating the injured woman.

A plumber who was working in the area, David Justino, used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet for Ms Green's leg.

Mr Justino said: "I just grabbed my belt, went over, lifted her up, put it on and held it.

"From the shin down, (her leg) was gone."

He added: "I just worried about the blood, there was too much blood."

British tourist Sian Green 23 leg severed by New York taxi A friend witnesses the accident. Pic: NBC

Mr Justino told the New York Daily News that she "was conscious the whole time, the poor thing. I wished she would have passed out".

A street vendor reportedly raced to put her severed foot on ice. She was then transport to the hospital.

Sergeant John Buthorn of the New York Police Department said: "The circumstances are still under investigation, whether it was some sort of rage or an accident.

British tourist Sian Green 23 leg severed by New York taxi Ms Green is taken to hospital on a stretcher. Pic: NBC

"It looks like her leg or part of it was severed during the accident."

Reports said Ms Green is being treated at Bellevue Hospital, where she underwent surgery to reattach her leg.

According to the New York Daily News, the cab driver was issued a summons for being an unauthorised driver, but was then set free.

Sian Green Ms Green, 23, had reportedly just started her holiday. Pic: Instagram

Both the driver and the cyclist were treated for injuries, police said.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are aware of a traffic incident involving a British national in New York City.

"Staff at the British Consulate General in New York are providing consular assistance at this difficult time."


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Lifeguards Rescue Children At Treyarnon Beach

A group of nine people, including six children, who were trapped on a beach in Cornwall have been saved by lifeguards.

The group, who were stranded on Treyarnon beach by the incoming tide, huddled together on a small platform above a gully as water began to rush in.

A RNLI spokesman said it was "too dangerous" for crews to reach them by lifeboat as 5ft (1.5-metre) waves lashed the rocky coastline, forcing two lifeguards to abandon their inflatable and swim towards the gully.

RNLI lifeguards rescue six children and three adults are rescued from a gully at Treyarnon beach, Cornwall One of the lifeguards involved in the rescue spots the stranded group

Zahli Lowe and Dan Lee, who are based at nearby Constantine, swam the youngsters, aged between seven and 12, to a safe part of the bay, where they were picked up by an inshore rescue boat.

They also helped a weaker adult swimmer to safety, while two adults made their own escape from the gully.

"It was a very difficult and long process, made even worse by the time pressures of the incoming tide and a building swell," Mr Lee said.

RNLI lifeguards rescue six children and three adults are rescued from a gully at Treyarnon beach, Cornwall Two of the youngsters are taken to shore in an RNLI inshore rescue boat

"Thankfully we all know this beach and stretch of coastline very well and were able to read the waves and get them all out safely."

Treyarnon, near Padstow, is popular with families during the summer, when up to 200 swimmers and surfers can be in the water at any time.

A large cave at the end of the gully in which the group was trapped can be explored at low tide.


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Syria Conflict: 1,300 Killed In 'Gas Attack'

More than 1,300 people have been killed in a chemical weapons attack near Damascus, according to Syria's main opposition group.

The National Coalition claims toxic gas was used by President Bashar al Assad's forces during a bombardment of rebel-held areas outside the Syrian capital.

It described the attack as a "coup de grace that kills all hopes for a political solution in Syria".

The government says the claims are "totally false" and the international news organisations reporting them are "implicated in the shedding of Syrian blood and support terrorism".

Damascus Attacks are alleged to have occured in the towns of Zamalka aand Ein Tarma

"Allegations of the use of chemical arms by the Syrian Arab Army today in areas of Damascus province... are null, void and totally unfounded," the military said in a statement read out by an officer on state TV.

"The army will continue on its national mission, by facing terrorism across Syrian territory...to protect the nation from these armed terrorist groups."

Earlier, Sky sources said at least 200 people were killed in the shelling in Zamalka and Ein Tarma, but could not verify whether chemical weapons were used.

It comes three days after a 20-strong team of UN weapons inspectors arrived in Damascus to investigate whether chemical weapons have been used in the conflict.

Mohammed Saeed, an activist in the area, said hundreds of dead and injured have been taken to six make-shift hospitals in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.

Alleged victims of poison gas attack in Syria. Images are not independently unverified Activists posted videos showing children apparently hurt in the attack

"This is a massacre by chemical weapons," he said via Skype. "The visit by the UN team is a joke...Bashar is using the weapons and telling the world that he does not care."

Opposition groups said government forces had fired "rockets with poisonous gas heads" in the attack.

Videos posted on YouTube by activists show children being treated in make-shift hospitals. Some are having convulsions and have difficulty breathing. Others are not moving.

Sky News cannot authenticate the footage.

Alleged victims of poison gas attack in Syria. Images are not independently unverified The YouTube images cannot be authenticated by Sky News

"Regime forces after midnight stepped up military operations in the East Ghouta and West Ghouta zones of the Damascus region with aircraft and rocket launchers, causing several dozen dead and wounded," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, another Syrian pro-opposition group, said hundreds of people were killed or injured in the "brutal use of toxic gas by the criminal regime in parts of Western Ghouta".

Videos claiming to show the shelling were posted on YouTube by the Syrian Revolution General Commission, another activist group.

They showed what it called "a terrible massacre committed by regime forces with toxic gas, leaving dozens of martyrs and wounded".

Alleged victims of poison gas attack in Syria. Images are not independently unverified Casualties are much higher than in previous allegations of chemical attacks

Both the rebels and government forces have accused each other of using chemical weapons in the conflict, which began in March 2011 and has killed more than 100,000 people.

The UN team is investigating three sites where chemical weapons have allegedly been used: the village of Khan al Assal, just west of the northern city of Aleppo, and two other locations, which are being kept secret for security reasons.

If confirmed, this alleged chemical attack would be the most serious since the incident in Khan al Assal on March 19, when at least 30 people were killed.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would be raising the incident at the UN Security Council.

"I am deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of people, including children, have been killed in airstrikes and a chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas near Damascus," he said.

"These reports are uncorroborated and we are urgently seeking more information. But it is clear that if they are verified, it would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

"Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them, should be in no doubt that we will work in every way we can to hold them to account.

"I call on the Syrian Government to allow immediate access to the area for the UN team currently investigating previous allegations of chemical weapons use."


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Queen's Swan Found Cooked Near Windsor Castle

A swan owned by the Queen has been found barbecued on the banks of the Thames in the shadow of Windsor Castle.

The Royal bird was found on Baths Island, in the middle of a picnic area popular with children and tourists.

It had been cooked with its feathers still attached, and meat had been stripped from its carcass.

Park wardens made the gruesome discovery in Windsor, Berkshire, at 3pm on Sunday, and called Swan Lifeline, which cares for sick or injured birds along the Thames.

Wendy Hermon, treatment centre co-ordinator for Swan Lifeline, told Sky News Online: "They were in the middle of their walkabout when they phoned us to say we've found what looks like the remains of a cooked swan.

"It's absolutely disgusting doing something like that. We've heard for years that sort of thing goes on; we've never actually seen it.

CRICKET-ENG-AUS-ASHES The Queen has the right to own any swan in the UK she chooses

"But to barbecue a swan and leave its body in the centre of Windsor with all the tourists and children about is absolutely disgraceful."

She added: "We have shot swans from time to time, and swans attacked by dogs and foxes, but that's nature and we accept it.

"But when it's something like this it's disgusting. It was so so selfish and wrong just to leave it there in the middle of the grass.

"They'd stripped the meat off it, they'd carved the breasts off the bones. There were no remains of a fire, but they're always having barbecues up there even though they're not allowed.

"And I think that's why the park wardens had gone up there, to tell people not to barbecue."

She said the carcass was taken back to the Swan Lifeline centre to be cremated.

pg2 valentines day swans in heartshape The first record of the swan as a Royal bird dates back to the 12th century

David Barber, The Queen's Swan Marker, said he was appalled by the incident.

"It's an absolutely shocking situation and as far as I'm concerned the police are investigating this," he told Sky News.

"All swans are considered by people to be Royal birds and it's quite a shock to people to see this in a middle of a picnic lawn in a public area."

He said all swans on the Thames belong to the Queen, apart from those owned by the Vintners and Dyers livery companies.

The suspects face a maximum six months jail sentence and £5,000 fine because wild swans are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

But Mr Barber said if the dead swan is claimed by the Crown, the suspects could also be prosecuted for damaging Crown property.

The first written record of the swan as a Royal bird dates back to the 12th century.

Cygnets were highly prized for their gourmet qualities and were often served at banquets. Anyone caught stealing the birds was severely punished.


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MasterChef Judge Gregg Wallace In Hotel Brawl

Written By Unknown on Senin, 19 Agustus 2013 | 20.49

MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace knocked a diner to the floor and punched him in the face for allegedly groping his girlfriend, according to reports.

The former greengrocer and restaurateur - known for using the phrase "cooking doesn't get tougher than this" - was pictured brawling with the man after a five-hour evening of food and wine at a plush hotel.

Wallace, 48, is reported to have punched the man several times because he apparently pinched his 27-year-old girlfriend Anne-Marie Sterpini's bottom.

The fight broke out after he had hosted Dinner With Gregg Wallace at the Wood Norton Hotel in Evesham, Worcestershire.

The hotel's website described Wallace as "the bald one who likes puddings" and promised guests a champagne reception followed by a five-course dinner.

But the scene turned ugly.

A picture in The Sun showed white-shirted Wallace grappling with the man while another man tries to restrain him as other guests look on.

The BBC host was eventually led from the oak-panelled room at the Grade II-listed building and taken upstairs.

Claire Shepherd, 31, who was at the £75-a-head evening, told The Sun: "He kept doing speeches and then we had a Q and A session.

"It became quite obvious that he was very self-important, so a woman on our table tried to make a joke, saying his bakery chain Greggs was doing really well and he must be happy.

"But he didn't laugh. He just said: 'End of questions, enjoy your meal.' It was a tumbleweed moment."

A source told the Daily Mail: "The vast majority of those present were very drunk. I'm pretty sure Gregg had enjoyed a few drinks too.

"In fact, his girlfriend was one of the only people there who seemed sober. Gregg took exception to this man who was supposed to have been touching his girlfriend up.

"A table was knocked over as they grappled."

The newspaper reported that three-times married Wallace and the man later calmed down, apologised to each other and shared a whisky.

Wallace's spokeswoman told Sky News Online: "I can confirm Gregg was involved in a disagreement at an event last night. The situation was swiftly resolved."

She confirmed that police had not been called to the event.


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Prince William: George Is A Bit Of A Rascal

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Prince William has revealed his son Prince George is "a little fighter" who "wriggles around quite a lot and he doesn't want to go to sleep that much".

In his first interview since becoming a father, the Duke of Cambridge talks about his "emotional experience" of the past few weeks, adding that his son is "a little bit of a rascal".

In the interview, which took place at Kensington Palace on August 2, William said: "Well yeah, he's a little bit of a rascal, put it that way.

"So he either reminds me of my brother or me when I was younger.

"He's doing very well at the moment. He does like to keep having his nappy changed."

Asked if he had changed the first nappy, the Prince replied: "I did the first nappy, yes. I had every midwife staring at me ... 'You do it, you do it'.

Prince William Prince William has given his first full interview since the birth

"He's growing quite quickly actually, but he is a little fighter.

"He kind of … wriggles around quite a lot, and he doesn't want to go to sleep that much, which is a little bit of a problem."

The Duchess of Cambridge did not take part in the interview.

Conservation efforts by the Prince's Charity Tusk Trust was the focus of the half-hour interview.

Asked how new mum Kate was coping with motherhood, Prince William said she was doing the lion's share of the night-time shifts, adding: "She's doing a fantastic job."

Reflecting on how he and Kate felt as they emerged from the Lindo Wing on July 23, the day after Prince George was born, William said: "I think more shock and dauntedness was the feeling I felt.

"I think I was on such a high anyway, and so was Catherine about George, and we were happy to show him off to whomever wanted to see him.

Composite of Baby Cambridge Royal baby William and Kate left hospital cradling the new prince

"I'm just glad he wasn't screaming his head off the whole way through.

"As any new parent knows, you're only too happy to show off your new child and, you know, proclaim that he is the best looking or the best everything."

The search and rescue pilot was also asked about the pressure he might have felt handling a car baby seat for the first time in public.

He said: "Believe me, it wasn't my first time. And I know there's been speculation about that - I had to practise, I really did.

"I was terrified it was going to fall off or it wasn't going to close properly. So, I had actually practised with that seat, but only once before."

The Duke of Cambridge is known for doing things his way, and spoke about choosing to drive the vehicle from the hospital to Kensington Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive in Bucklebury Prince William said that driving his young son home was important

"Where I can be, I am as independent as I want to be, the same as Catherine and Harry," he said.

"We've all grown up differently to other generations (of royals), and I very much feel if I can do it myself, I want to do it myself.

"I think driving your son and your wife away from hospital was really important to me, and I don't like fuss, so it's much easier to just do it yourself."

The Duke also talked about his hopes for his son George, saying he plans to bring him up as if he is growing up "in the bush".

"I'll have toy elephants and rhinos around the room. We'll cover it in sort of, you know, lots of bushes and things like that, make him grow up as if he's in the bush."

But it seems sleep is the priority for the royal couple for the moment: "At the moment, the only legacy I want to pass on to him is to sleep more and maybe not have to change his nappy so many times."


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