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How Prince William trained for daddy duty

New dad Prince William might be in real baby boot camp now that he’s home with infant son George. But according to Vanity Fair, he prepared for fatherhood with a book written by a fellow military man, Commando Dad: Basic Training.Author Neil Sinclair is an ex-Royal Engineer Commando who served three tours in Norway, one in Belize and six months in Iraq as part of Operation Desert Storm. But none
Prince William Used Commando Dad Book to Prep for Baby
Prince William Used Commando Dad Book to Prep for BabyMax Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images / Today

New dad Prince William might be in real baby boot camp now that he’s home with infant son George. But according to Vanity Fair, he prepared for fatherhood with a book written by a fellow military man, Commando Dad: Basic Training.

Author Neil Sinclair is an ex-Royal Engineer Commando who served three tours in Norway, one in Belize and six months in Iraq as part of Operation Desert Storm. But none of that prepared him for the bomb that went off when his first child arrived.

Now, as a stay-at-home dad to three kids, he’s brought his military precision to parenting with his book for new dads. He writes in The Telegraph: “..as a first-time dad, what I wanted was a clear, concise manual offering straightforward advice on the practical skills I would need to be an effective dad; the parenting equivalent of Basic Battle Skills, the no-nonsense field training guide issued to all soldiers in the British Army.” So he wrote the book he wished he’d been issued, an emotions-light, maneuvers-heavy manual that covers everything from diaper changing to sleep training with step-by-step military precision. The book, which is pocket-sized so it can be used “in the field,” stresses preparedness and organization in your BT (baby trooper) care mission.

We can see why this book would appeal to the hands-on, low-drama prince, but you’ll have to wait until December 17 to see for yourself; that’s when it hits US bookstores.

Mom of two Sasha Emmons is a writer and editor. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.