Last week, Prince William gave a particularly heart-wrenching statement to The Daily Mail. He wrote about the grief he still feels over his mother’s death when he was just 15 years old, and how her memory inspires him daily to be a better man and to follow in her charitable footsteps.

Prince William wrote the statement because he had just been appointed the Royal Patron to the Child Bereavement Charity. Many hoped (myself included) that the appointment would signal a new era for William (and hopefully Harry too), that they would begin, in earnest, to take on their royal and charitable duties with the inspiration and graciousness their mother had. It might be happening. Prince William gave an interview to CBBC’s Newsround Show, a show that seems to cater to the British tween set. In the interview he discussed his patronage of London’s Royal Marsden Hospital, in which his mother opened the children’s unit in 1993. People has more:

Prince William sees himself carrying on his mother’s legacy.

Less than a week since he movingly spoke about the emptiness he feels since Princess Diana’s death in 1997, he went on a U.K. children’s show to talk about how his patronage of London’s Royal Marsden Hospital is something that would make mom proud.

“For a very long time my mother was involved with the Royal Marsden, and she had a very close connection with them … So I wanted to follow in her footsteps, in that sense, and help,” he told CBBC’s Newsround Show for 6- to 12-year-old children.

Diana opened the current children’s unit in 1993 and the prince, 26, is lending his support to the building of a special Children’s and Teenage Cancer Centre.

“I’ve learned so much and met so many incredible people who have been unfortunate enough to, you know, have cancer – and most battle through it and have dealt with it in an incredibly inspirational way,” he said after spending time with 10-year-old Alice, a cancer patient at Royal Marsden.

William is currently undergoing training to be a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot. But, when he was a boy, he dreamed of being a cop.

“A long time ago I wanted to be a policeman, when I was younger,” he said. “I soon learned that probably wasn’t a good idea.” But his piloting is a success, he added on the show. “At the moment I’m still doing some sort of helicopter flying, doing search and rescue – It’s going very well.”

“My instructors would probably say, ‘Not so well,’ but I think it’s going not too badly. I haven’t managed to dent any of the aircraft [and] I haven’t flown into any trees yet.”

And there is clearly some sibling rivalry between him and younger brother Prince Harry, 24, who is also learning to fly at another base with the Army Air Corps.

When asked who would win an arm wrestle between the two brothers, he said, “You know the answer to that! It’s not even a contest. Obviously I’d win. As the bigger brother you have that psychological power over your brother, you see.”

With some light-hearted mischievousness, William put the young interviewer at ease when he responded to what he would do if he were invisible. “I’d probably get myself in a lot of trouble,” he said. “I’d probably go into the newspaper office, and I’d hide in the background and listen to all the stories they talk about me.”

From People Magazine

That’s weird, I thought Prince Harry was the one who wanted to be a cop, not William. But maybe I’m remembering it wrong. But all in all, a really cute interview. I think all of the questions came from “the young interviewer”, probably a kid who’s not even a teenager. It really seems like William and Harry inherited one of their mother’s best qualities – an easy comfort with children, and an ability to talk to children without condescending to them.

As for whether Prince William really has “psychological power” over his younger brother, I’m not so sure. William is probably smarter (tough, right?), and Will has an easier time with the press. But I bet Harry is stronger. That’s the power of ginger hotness.

Prince Harry and Prince William are shown with Prince Charles and Camilla on 2/24/09 at the unveiling of a new statue of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother on the Mall in London. They are also shown signing the official book of condolence for the victims of the Australian wildfires at the Australian High Commission. Credit: WENN.com