In 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton decided to leave Kensington Palace with their children, moving to Adelaide Cottage, within the grounds of Windsor Park. It’s been well-documented that the Prince and Princess of Wales are known to want to raise their children in a way that’s as un-royal as possible, but they naturally have many specific rules the kids must follow.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, of course, want their children to grow up to be respectable and warm-hearted people. Because of that, they have taken care to give Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis lessons on what reality can look like. Meanwhile, their former royal aide, Jason Knauf, has now made a bombshell claim about how the Waleses are worried for their children’s futures because of the digital age they are growing up in.
William and Kate have done all they can to give their children a pleasant, fun, and enjoyable upbringing. While George, Charlotte, and Louis will always be important members of the Royal Family, their parents have expressed a desire to give them childhoods not too dissimilar to others of their age.
Most importantly, the Prince and Princess of Wales want to give their children dedication and stress the important lesson that not everyone is living the lavish life they are. William was taught that by his mother, Prince Diana. Speaking with the Sunday Times, the future king revealed he wants George, Charlotte, and Louis to know that “some of us need a helping hand.”
Diana took he and Harry to a homeless shelter when they were young, and the future king intends to do the same with his children.
“My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and I’m really glad she did,” William explained. “I think when I can balance it with their schooling, they will definitely be exposed to it. On the school run, we talk about what we see. When we were in London, driving backwards and forwards, we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets and we’d talk about it.”
He continued: “I’d say to the children, ‘Why are they there? What’s going on?’ I think it’s in all our interests, it’s the right thing to do, to expose the children, at the right stage, in the right dialogue, so they have an understanding.”
How Prince William & Kate Middleton raise their children
Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained to OK! that she finds it fitting that Prince William is passing on his mother’s values.
“It wasn’t just Diana – Charles also wanted his sons to have a better understanding of life outside the Palace walls,” she said. “They both came from the same perspective of wanting to raise those boys with an understanding of normal life outside the confines of royal protocol.”
“William and Kate’s children are probably more aware of homelessness than most children from privileged backgrounds, because it’s something their father campaigns passionately for and has done since he was 18. I think their eyes have been quite wide open from an early age – and that is largely because of William and Kate’s hard work.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton have set rules their children must follow at home. Some years ago, a source told The Sun that one rule is fundamental and must be followed at home and when out on royal duty. According to The Sun, the “children are encouraged to talk about their feelings.” However, when they raise their voice, the conversation ends.
“Shouting is absolutely ‘off limits’ for the children and any hint of shouting at each other is dealt with by removal,” the source told The Sun in 2020. “They are taken away from the scene of the row or disruption and talked to calmly by either Kate or William. Things are explained, and consequences outlined, and they never shout at them.”
Prince William wants his children to ‘learn how to lose’
While William and Kate love that their children play sports and are active, they revealed how they have tried teaching George, Charlotte, and Louis a critical life lesson: How to lose.
“Learning to lose, which I think we’ve got to concentrate more on nowadays,” William said. “I think people don’t know how to lose well. Talking about our children particularly, I want to make sure they understand that.”
He added that his children – and others – can “grow” from not winning.
“I think it’s really important from a young age to understand how to lose, and why we lose, and to grow from it and what you learn from that process,” the Prince of Wales said. “But also, to win well and not boast. There’s so many life lessons that help us all through life, in friendship building, in relationship building, workplace, that you gain from those early years of playing team sport.”
After Prince William, Prince George follows in the line of succession. Although it will hopefully be many years before he becomes king, the question of the children’s future and what will happen is always present. Princess Charlotte is tipped to have a crucial role in George’s monarchy, similar to the role Princess Anne has played for King Charles. That leaves one person: Prince Louis.
How Prince William and Kate will avoid ‘Spare curse’ for Prince Louis
The youngster will likely never be close to ascending the throne, and in a new, modern era, he could do something completely different with his life that simply wait around at the Crown’s behest.
When Prince Harry released his Spare book, the estranged prince stated that he was worried that Louis could become a “spare,” just like him. However, royal expert Jennie Bond says that the Prince and Princess of Wales “must be acutely aware” of the problems that could come with Louis being a “spare.”
“They have already shown that they have a different and modern attitude to bringing up royal children and I’m sure they will do everything to make Charlotte and Louis feel every bit as special, loved and valued as George,” Bond told the Mirror.
“I imagine they will encourage Louis to explore life outside the royal fold… it could be the military, but it could also be working in the charity world or whatever he finds appealing after his education is finished. I’m sure they will encourage him to go to University, which they both enjoyed and where, of course, they found love.”
The royal expert continued: “And from there they will want him to find a life that is meaningful to him as well as appropriate for the son of a future King. They will try to ensure that he feels he is living a life of value, irrespective of his place in the line of succession, and that will probably involve service of some kind as they have emphasized from the start that they want their children to understand that having empathy with others is not only a kindness but is rewarding as well.”
Prince William & Kate Middleton are “firm believers” in not giving their children tablets
With so much money, one might imagine William and Kate’s home is filled with the most luxurious things, everything from expensive furniture to the latest and flashiest televisions, computers, mobile phones, and tablets. However, that is not entirely true.
As stated, William and Kate want to give their children a normal childhood. That includes a complete ban on things like iPads.
An insider told Us Weekly that William and Kate have focused their parenting style around creative activities and playtime rather than just handing their children an iPad to sit and watch on the couch.
“They’re very much seen as mummy and daddy’s toys, not for children,” the source told Us Weekly. “As two people who grew up without gadgets for entertainment themselves, William and Kate are firm believers in toys, outdoor play and encouraging an active imagination.”
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are all growing up in the digital age, and no one can change that. Still, the fact that they are is said to be a cause for concern for both William and Kate.
“Worried” for Prince George, Prince Charlotte & Prince Louis’ future
During an appearance on 60 Minutes Australia, former royal aide Jason Knauf spoke about William and Kate’s attitude towards their children’s place in this digital age, and that they fear for the future. The fact that William grew up surrounded by cameras is said to be one of the reasons.
“His childhood in front of the media was quite difficult at times,” Knauf said, per Hello! Magazine. “And then he knew that he was going to be raising his kids to deal with social media and mobile phones and all of that stuff.”
“I definitely saw the worried mum and dad behind the scenes, but a lot less in recent years, which has been fantastic for them as a family,” he added.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have spoken about their concerns regarding mobile phones and other devices in the past. When they visited the BBC in 2018, William said: “I saw that my friends and peers were worried about the risks of the very powerful tools we were putting in our children’s hands. For too many families, phones and social media shattered the sanctity and protection of the home. As we grappled with this, we felt a distinct absence of guidance.”
The future king added: “Should we read our children’s messages? Should we allow them to have phones and tablets in their rooms? Who do we report bullying to? We were making up the rules as we went along.”
“Make the online world a safe place of discovery, friendship, and education”
Meanwhile, William had spoken to the Taskforce on the Prevention of Cyberbullying just shortly before the BBC visit and urged the billion-dollar tech companies to do everything they could to protect children.
“Surely you can partner with parents to make the online world a safe place of discovery, friendship, and education for their children,” William said. “You can work in the interest of the children and parents who use your products and still make your shareholders happy. We not only want you to succeed, we need you to.”
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