'You’ll never leave the house again' - When Michael Phelps was jokingly warned by Prince Williams about fatherhood

Prince Williams (Prince of Wales) had once jokingly warned Michael Phelps about fatherhood after the Olympian welcomed his first child, Boomer. The American swimmer is married to Nicole and is now a father to four sons.

Phelps retired as arguably the greatest Olympian in history in 2016 with a total of 28 medals. Phelps was honored with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. The 23-time Olympic gold medalist was presented with the award by Prince of Wales and former swimmer Ian Thorpe.

Prince Williams lauded Phelps for achieving incredible success across his storied swimming career and said (via People):

"You’re one of the greatest sporting icons the world has ever had. Your 23 gold medals, never mind all the other colors, pales into sheer superhuman history. You should be so proud of your achievements and it will be many many years, if ever before anyone stands here again and calls you the greatest athlete in history so many many congratulations and hopefully your retirement gives somebody else the chance now.”

The legendary swimmer and his wife Nicole also caught up with Prince Williams off-stage and had a fun discussion about parenthood. When the couple told Williams that it was the first time that they were without their then 7-month-old son, Boomer, the Prince joked they would never be able to leave their house again.

“Oh, I see why the retirement is looming,” William said after asking Boomer’s age. “You’ll never leave the house again!”

While Williams is a father to three children, including two sons, Phelps is to four -- Boomer, 8; Beckett, 7; Maverick, 5; and Nico,1.

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'It gives me a lot of hope' - Michael Phelps on his kids opening up about their feelings

2024 Summer Olympics in Paris France - Michael Phelps with wife Nicole - Source: Getty

Michael Phelps reportedly had a strained relationship with his father, and following his initial retirement in 2012, he struggled with severe depression. The Olympic champion said he was hesitant to share his feelings, and when he did, his depression also began to slowly fade away.

Phelps is now trying to instill that character into his kids, who are responding well and giving the swimmer hope that they will not have to endure what he did.

"They talk about their emotions," Michael Phelps told People in 2021. "It gives me a lot of hope. I just want them to be as prepared as they can be."

Per his wife Nicole, their kids have also learned the art of the "lion's breath".

"It's funny, Maverick will be so upset and then suddenly you'll hear him breathe in deep and then sigh," she said in the same interview to People.

Phelps has been a long-time advocate of mental health and even created his own 'Michael Phelps Foundation', which also focuses on water safety alongside mental health.