Prince William Had the Best Reaction When a Baby Bit His Finger in Singapore

Royal photographer Chris Jackson joked that the baby "wouldn't give back" the Prince of Wales' finger

Kate Middleton is known for charming children during royal engagements, but Prince William is clearly a favorite of the little ones as well!

The Prince of Wales, 41, arrived in Singapore on Sunday ahead of the third Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on Tuesday. His first stop was the Jewel, a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex linked to one of Changi Airport’s passenger terminals. Prince William was welcomed by cheering crowds and took time to meet those who came out to see him — including a baby named Albane Costa.

As seen in a video shared to X by Liza Dicoy, the little one clung to William’s finger as the royal chatted with the parents and said their child was “very sweet.”

"How's he sleeping? Is he sleeping okay? Good,” the Prince of Wales asked.

As baby Albane continued to hang onto his hand — and even tried to put the royal's finger in his mouth! — Prince William said with a laugh, “I need my finger. I need my finger back!"

Related: Prince William Reveals Relatable Family Reason Kate Middleton Isn't Joining Him on Singapore Trip

Royal photographer Chris Jackson, who is on the ground covering the Singapore visit, joked on Instagram that the 8-month-old tot “took a liking [to] (and wouldn’t give back! 🤣)" the Prince of Wales’ hand.

Of course, Prince William has long been a pro at all things parenting as he and his wife share three kids: Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

The royal dad’s exchange with the baby might give Princess Kate some competition! The Princess of Wales, 41, has made early childhood development a key priority of her royal work (most boldly through the Shaping Us campaign from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood) and has previously hinted that being around babies makes her wistful.

"It makes me very broody," Princess Kate said at the Copenhagen Infant Mental Health Project during her solo tour of Denmark in February 2022. "William always worries about me meeting under 1-year-olds. I come home saying, 'Let's have another one.' "

Prince William stressed the sentiment during their joint visit to Scotland that May, where he and Princess Kate met an infant named Saul at St. John's Primary School, where young students learned about empathy by observing the baby.

"Can you get my wife out of here before she gets broody?" William joked about Kate.

The Princess of Wales is shaking up past precedent by not attending the third Earthshot Prize ceremony as she has in years past. King Charles’ elder son launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020 to promote impactful approaches to the world's most pressing environmental challenges, with plans to award the prizes until 2030. Kate supported William at the inaugural awards ceremony in London in October 2021 and again in Boston in December 2022.

PEOPLE understands that Prince George has school exams this week, and his mother stayed home in Windsor to support him.

Related: Oar-some! Prince William Wins Dragon Boat Race Ahead of Earthshot Prize Event in Singapore 

While Prince William traveled solo to Singapore, his family remained top of mind. In a speech at the United for Wildlife summit on Monday morning, the Prince of Wales cited George’s school schedule as why his wife was not with him.

“Catherine is very sorry she can’t be here,” he said. “She is helping George through his first set of major exams.”

William, who is the current heir to the throne, added that his last visit with Kate was “a memorable” one 11 years ago. On that occasion, the royal couple visited Singapore on behalf of his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth during her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

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Prince William has been on the go since he touched down in Singapore on Sunday, kicking off the first Earthshot Week. The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony was previously organized as a glamorous, standalone event, where £1 million ($1.2 million) prizes were awarded to 15 change-making finalists to further solutions across five categories — Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate — following a rigorous international contest process.

The inaugural Earthshot Week aims to raise engagement around the Earthshot Prize, and Prince William got it started with his visit to “Rain Vortex” — the world’s largest indoor waterfall — at The Jewel on Sunday.

On Monday, Earthshot partners including Bloomberg L.P, YouTube, Arup and Singapore Fashion Council welcomed 120 young leaders from across Southeast Asia for a masterclass on how to help drive climate action in their local areas, the Earthshot Prize said. Officials teased that there will be “more coming soon.” 

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