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Prince William has told C±«Óãtv's Newsround that he is following in his mother's footsteps and lending his support to plans to build a new Children's and Teenage Cancer Centre at The Royal Marsden Hospital.

In an exclusive interview aired on ±«Óãtv One today (Wednesday 18 March 2009 at 5.05pm) Prince William speaks openly about his charity work, his childhood dream of becoming a policeman, arm wrestling with Prince Harry, and how he got his "Harry Potter scar".

When asked why he became patron at The Royal Marsden Hospital the prince said: "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."

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, opened the current children's unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital back in 1993. Prince William, who is now President of the hospital, undertook work experience at the children's unit in 2005.

"And since doing that [work experience] I've learnt 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 added.

C±«Óãtv's Newsround's very own Royal reporter, ten-year-old Alice, a cancer patient at The Royal Marsden Hospital, questioned Prince William on a range of topics of interest to the programmes six to 12-year-old demographic.

When asked what he would do if he was not a prince, he said: "A long time ago I wanted to be a policeman, when I was younger. I soon learnt that probably wasn't a good idea.

"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, I haven't flown into any trees yet, so... it's going ok."

Prince William was clear on who would win an arm wrestle between the two brothers.

"You know the answer to that! It's not even a contest. Obviously I'd win. Obviously. As the bigger brother you have that psychological power over your brother, you see," he joked.

Prince William explained how a childhood golf accident left him with a "Harry Potter scar".

Pointing to his forehead he said: "That was for my Harry Potter scar, as I call it, just here. I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it – other times they don't notice it at all.

"But I got hit by a golf club when I was playing golf with a friend of mine. Yeah, we were on a putting green and the next thing you know there was a seven-iron and it came out of nowhere and it hit me in the head. So, yeah, I was in hospital for that, but that was, yeah, very minor compared to how many times you've been into hospital."

Prince William also revealed what he would do if he were invisible for a day.

"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."

The full interview with Prince William broadcast on C±«Óãtv's Newsround on ±«Óãtv One on Wednesday 18 March 2009 at 5.05pm and for 24 hours on the C±«Óãtv iPlayer.

Any use of information from this release must be attributed to C±«Óãtv's Newsround.

Notes to Editors

Newsround has been dedicated to bringing children the news for over 36 years, making the important issues of the day relevant and easily understandable for kids. Television's only daily current affairs programme specifically made for young people has recently been given a re-launch with a brand new look and two new presenters for a new generation of children.

Newsround continues to make one-off specials, which cover difficult subjects, such as recent reports on knife crime and divorce, in a sensitive and accessible way.

Presented by Ore Oduba and Sonali Shah live from ±«Óãtv Television Centre in London, Newsround now has its very own news bureau in Manchester, bringing all the latest news from the nations and regions to uniquely deliver world-class journalism exclusively for children and young people across the UK.

As well as delivering up-to-the-minute news, Newsround's website also encourages children to share their own views and engage in debates by joining chats on the message boards, voting on the issues that matter to them, pitting their wits in a choice of quizzes, and watching the amazing press pack reports made by other Newsround viewers.

PH