Prince William dreamed of becoming a policeman when he was younger, the heir to the British throne has admitted - while also revealing how he came to get a "Harry Potter scar" on his forehead.

Prince William dreamed of becoming a policeman when he was younger, the heir to the British throne has admitted - while also revealing how he came to get a "Harry Potter scar" on his forehead.

The 26-year-old royal opened up in an interview for a children's television program, answering questions from a young cancer patient at London's renowned Royal Marsden hospital.

Asked what he wanted to do as a child, 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," continued William, who is currently training with Britain's Royal Air Force, after a spell with the army.

"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," he added.

The future king - who has taken over his mother Princess Diana's role as honorary president of the renowned Royal Marsden hospital in London - also revealed how a childhood accident had left him with a mark on his forehead.

Pointing to it, 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."

He added: "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 very minor compared to how many times you've been into hospital," added the prince, second in line to the throne after his father, Diana's former husband Prince Charles.