Prince William reveals Prince Louis, six, has a very loud new hobby – and jokes he spends his ‘entire life’ with ‘fingers in my ears’

Prince William has revealed that six-year-old Prince Louis has taken up a loud new hobby.

The Prince of Wales, 42, made the comments while attending the Tusk Conservation Awards 2024 at the Savoy Hotel in London on Wednesday night.

He was helped by Rolling Stones icon Ronnie Wood and Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, whom he met at a pre-awards reception.

William said that “there’s a lot of creativity here” and joked that they had enough to form a band.

He went on to reveal that Prince Louis has started playing the drums, joking that it makes life in Windsor very noisy.

Laughing, William said: “My youngest son is learning to play the drums, so I spend my whole life with my fingers in my ears.”

Wales’ youngest boy is known for his cheeky and boisterous personality, so news of his new hobby won’t come as a surprise to royal fans.

William’s son always seems full of energy, from climbing a tree in Kate’s cancer recovery video in September, to making a series of cheeky expressions during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

In his speech, William warned that “tonight is a reminder that our planet continues to face dire environmental concerns.”

He praised the award winners for reminding us “of the importance of living in peace with nature.”

And speaking of George, Charlotte and Louis, he said: “I want my children to live in a world where swallows still migrate, gorillas still live in the cloud forests of Uganda and rhinos still roam the arid grazing lands of Namibia.” .

Ronnie also told him that the gorilla auctioned off for Tusk was returned to him and is now in his garden.

Film producer Sally Humphreys Wood, 46, told William she met his father, the King, last week at a BAFTA party at Buckingham Palace.

And Knopfler, who was with his wife Kittie Aldridge, 62, said he had 100 guitars left and gave a shout out to Christie’s for the Tusk auction earlier this year.

William told the rock stars ‘thank you for your support.’

He also spoke to sponsors including Land Rover and DHL about his Earthshot award in Cape Town.

Hearing from the Nick Maugham Family Foundation about the conservation of rare bongo (cor) antelopes, of which there are only around 100 left in the wild, William said: “People forget how rare they are.”

Upon hearing of the organization’s efforts, William said he was very “excited” and hailed it as a “huge conservation success.”

Speaking of his Earthshot award, he told guests: “We need to expand it and I’m working on some things.”

William also presented the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa to Nomba Gname, the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa to Edward Aruna and the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award to Claver Ntoyinkima.

The Tusk Conservation Awards are an annual event that recognizes conservation leaders for their pioneering work in protecting wildlife and supporting communities across Africa. William is the sponsor of the awards.

The awards were first awarded more than a decade ago, in 2013, thanks to a collaboration between the Prince of Wales and investors Ninety One.

The ceremony, which will be held this afternoon at the world-famous Savoy Hotel, awarded three winners for their work in this field.

Speaking previously about the awards, William said: “These awards, which mean a lot to me personally, play a huge role in our mission to preserve Africa’s precious wildlife for its people.”

‘It is vital that we recognize the dedication of these unsung heroes and the bravery of rangers who risk their lives, day and night, on the front line of conservation. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”

Last year, the Prince of Wales also spoke to Wood at the awards and told the Rolling Stones star that he would only see them in concert if they featured Taylor Swift, of whom he has made no secret that he is a fan.

Both men are long-time supporters of the event’s organisers, the Africa-based charity Tusk Trust.

After chatting to the future king at last year’s event, Wood said: “We were talking about the tour and I said ‘come on, you’ve got to go on tour’ and we were talking about the new album and all that.” William said he would if we could get Taylor Swift there.

Guitarist Wood told William that Swift had sung with Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger, and said the prince replied: “Then I’m there.”

It comes a day after William marveled at high-tech drones and tried his hand at shooting a sniper rifle while spending the morning with the Welsh Guards in Salisbury.

William entered combat this morning when he spent time with the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards in his capacity as colonel of the regiment, a ceremonial role he has held since December 2022.

Tuesday’s visit to Salisbury Plain marks William’s second royal engagement in as many days, after he yesterday launched a new environmental project alongside the Crown Prince of Oman in London.

Over the past two years, the Battalion has led a number of historic ceremonial events, including the funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and the display of its color for the first birthday parade of Your Majesty last year.

Additionally, the regiment has been carrying out overseas operations in the Falkland Islands and Oman.

But they are now returning to field duties and William’s visit was designed to see how officers have been coping with the change of pace, particularly the new growth of the regiment’s specialist weapons capabilities to bolster their work overseas and in the UK.

William was wearing combat gear and a beret when he arrived on Salisbury Plain by helicopter, before donning a protective vest and helmet, ready for an action-packed day at Westdown Camp.