Prince William and Kate Middleton are doing their utmost to usher the monarchy into the modern world.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are raising their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, in a very “normal” way, though their lives are, of course, far from normal.
When Prince Harry released his memoir, Spare, he raised his concerns that Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte would be treated as he was, in effect becoming ‘spares’ themselves. Now, a royal expert has claimed that William and Kate are well aware of that possibility, and it has affected how they raise their kids.
Prince William and Kate Middleton find themselves in quite rare situations. Society has progressed a lot in just the last 20 years, including everything from how we now look at the monarchy to the norms for our children. Put simply, the Royal Family has had to do something to keep up. Fortunately they have William and Kate, who may be royal, but are notoriously ‘normal’ when not on official duty.
The Prince and Princess of Wales want the Royal Family to echo how society looks like today as opposed to an old institution with too many rules and an insurmountable gap when it comes to coming across as relatable the public. Not only that, but they’re aiming to make it smaller.
The most obvious way that William and Kate have proven their aim is through the way they have raised, and continue to raise their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The three youngsters can all lay claim to being central figures in the Royal Family, but when it comes to raising them to become working members, William and Kate want to do it differently.
Last year, a source spoke to The Daily Mail, revealing that the couple doesn’t want their children to get special treatment. For example, while they had a nanny, they decided not to use the help of dedicated staff to raise George, Charlotte, and Louis.
“I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home,” the source said. “The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they’ve finished eating and helping with tidying up. There’s no preferential treatment.”
How Prince William & Kate Middleton are raising their children
Moreover, the British news outlet said that while William and Kate have daytime staff that help them “manage their busy working schedules,” they decided not to take their nanny, Maria Teresa Borrallo, with them when they moved to Windsor from Kensington Palace.
The last year has been tough on the Wales family, with Kate Middleton receiving her cancer diagnosis in early 2024. But still, despite the chemotherapy, Kate has “been determined to make sure her children’s home life is not disrupted” and that their daily life goes on “normal as possible.”
“Catherine is very, very natural,” the source continued. “She keeps the family down to earth. Home is a safe haven. In a bid to keep things functioning as smoothly as possible she has been keen for everything to carry on as normal for the children,” the source added. “The children are still expected to do their chores and to muck in at home.”
While George, Charlotte, and Louis most likely bump into staff at home and Buckingham Palace, Prince William and Kate Middleton have done their best to ensure their children grow up outside the spotlight. For example, gossiping among staff is strictly forbidden to protect their privacy, and they have to be skilled in “maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion.”
At Adelaide Cottage, their Windsor home, William and Kate have also implemented rules regarding how staff dress. As per The Sun, Valentina Low, author of Courtiers: The Hidde Power Behind the Crown, employees are told to wear casual clothes. Being too formal is not appreciated by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“The kids run around the office, and he [William] does not want it to be stuffy. If we have important meetings or are going to Buckingham Palace, then, of course, we [dress up],” the source told Valentine Low.
‘Spare curse’
There are no butlers at Adelaide Cottage, and there is a good reason for it. In his book New King, New Court, royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote: “The couple did not seek to boost the staff numbers at Adelaide Cottage, not least because there would be little room to do so. Reports that the Prince was hiring a valet were knocked back.”
“The Kensington Palace team does include a ‘yeoman’, a multi-tasking attendant who looks after everything from luggage to uniforms, but there is no ‘gentleman’s gentleman’ on the staff. ‘And certainly no butler,’ adds one source. ‘It’s very much them at home with the kids,'” he added.
The phrase “spare to the heir” has grown in popularity recently, not least because of Prince Harry. Three years after leaving royal life, in January 2023, Harry released his memoir Spare, within the pages of which he outlined for the whole world his belief that he would never be considered as important as his big brother, Prince William, who will ascend the throne after King Charles. The phrase “Spare” has become synonymous with Harry, who even claimed that King Charles had uttered the word the day the estranged prince was born.
However, it didn’t stop there. Harry also wrote about Prince Louis and his older sister, Princess Charlotte, revealing his concerns for their futures. The Duke said he fears they could be like him, a “spare.” In an interview with The Telegraph to promote his book, Harry chose to discuss William and Kate’s three children.
“Though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare,” Harry said. “And that hurts, that worries me.”
Prince William & Kate Middleton “aware” of possible ‘spare’ problems
The estranged prince continued: “I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy, I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow. This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced thereafter.”
As per the line of succession, Prince William will ascend the throne after King Charles, with Kate Middleton becoming queen. After William, the crown will pass to Prince George, with his siblings, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, next in line so long as he has no children.
While Prince Harry enraged his brother and Kate Middleton with many of the allegations and comments made in his book and earlier interviews, royal expert Jennie Bond says that the Prince and Princess of Wales “must be acutely aware” of the problems that could come with Prince Louis—and Princess Charlotte—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.”
Prince William & Kate Middleton ‘want Charlotte and Louis to have their own careers’
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 emphasised 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.”
As Bond suggested, William and Kate might encourage Louis to try new things and find his passion outside royal life. Should he opt to remain in the royal fold, he will likely be handed a crucial senior role within the monarchy and significant titles.
But Bond isn’t the only one predicting that Prince Louis could do more than just royal engagements. Speaking to OK!, per Yahoo, Camilla Tominey, royal expert and associate editor at The Telegraph, claimed Prince William and Kate Middleton will want Charlotte and Louis to “have their own careers” if they want to.
“[William & Kate] don’t want history to repeat itself and Prince Louis seem like a royal hanger-on and go down the Duke of York path,” she told the Telegraph.
“A lot of the more minor royals have got careers of their own so they aren’t really being tax payer funded,” she continued. “The extent to which the Cambridges have tried to normalise the lives of their children very much points in the direction of – yes, Prince George has his destiny mapped out but Princess Charlotte and Louis’ having their own careers?’”
How the Prince and Princess of Wales have changed their parenting style
Tominey concluded: “They’ve got to get the balance right of what their own children want to do with their lives and their royal commitments. We might be seeing fewer royals in the future than we’re used to. But the question is, are there going to be enough royals to go around?”
As mentioned, Prince George is next in line after his father. The young prince will most likely get a different education regarding royal life and what is expected of him as he becomes king. But still, that is something Prince William and Kate Middleton want to put off as long as possible.
Speaking with Fox, royal expert Hilary Fordwich said that the Prince and Princess of Wales are very aware of the “spare” issue. Therefore, it’s extra important that their children are all treated equally, no matter who will become king in the future.
“They are both determined to avoid the traditional ‘heir and spare’ dynamic by emphasizing that Prince George is the ‘first among equals,’ so that Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are treated as his equals,” Fordwich said.
“William and Kate accomplished this by working as a family unit, for household chores, cooking and the like. Previous royal generations relied heavily on nannies, whilst their parents focused on royal duties, thereby leaving little time for hands-on involvement. This resulted in their children feeling emotionally neglected.”
“They’ve maintained strong family bonds”
Fordwich continued by explaining that William and Kate are both very ‘untraditional’ royals as they are very much involved in their children’s daily lives, for example, when it comes to picking up and dropping them off at school or putting them to bed.
“They’ve maintained strong family bonds, a sense of normalcy and are reducing feelings of isolation, as well as favoritism. This is in stark contrast to William and Harry’s childhood, which was plagued by their parents’ highly publicized, acrimonious divorce, as well as the frequent pressures of royal life.”
“Harry has frequently complained that his pain was neither comforted nor acknowledged,” she said. “William is most determined to create a close-knit, emotionally supportive family. He and Kate have always prioritized their relationship, as well as family togetherness, in the hope that they’ll be able to avoid the chaos and emotional fallout William experienced as a boy.”
“It was Kate’s stable home life that was a great part of his attraction to her,” she shared. “He appreciated how empathetic she was, her calm discipline and her ability to provide a comforting, happy home. This, they believe, will ensure their children are more resilient and family-oriented.”
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