Yahoo Finance How Kate Middleton and Prince William Are Modeling Princess Diana's Parenting Style
Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William
Princess Diana wanted to give her kids a normal upbringing despite their royal status, and now Prince William and Kate Middleton are using that philosophy with their own three children.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are introducing their kids — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — to elements of royal life, such as joining Queen Elizabeth on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour or bringing them along on royal tours. But at the same time, they try to maintain privacy and normality for the young siblings, including ordinary trips to the supermarket or snacking from the trunk of the car while Prince William plays polo.
It's a cue they're taking from Princess Diana, who frequently took her sons Prince William and Prince Harry on kid-friendly outings, like trips to the amusement park or McDonald's.
Royal parents often relied on nannies while they carried out their public duties — in fact, when Prince Charles and Princess Anne were young, they were only able to see their monarch mother at two appointed "meetings" each day. Even when Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were born in the 1960s, it was a "nanny-dominated world," biographer Ingrid Seward previously told PEOPLE.
However, Princess Diana made sure to take a hands-on approach with her boys, even bringing a nearly 1-year-old William on tour, a first for a royal baby.
David Levenson/Getty Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Charles
Although they have help from trusted nanny Maria Turrion Borrallo, Prince William and Kate followed Princess Diana's lead when they took Prince George on tour to Australia and New Zealand when he was just 9 months old, and they brought Princess Charlotte along to Canada when she was just 2.
More recently, as part of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee weekend, Prince George and Princess Charlotte accompanied their parents to Wales for their first official visit — a big moment for George, who is set to someday become the Prince of Wales when his father is monarch.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William
Prince William is "very much the modern dad," according to Seward. He makes sure to practice "active listening" by squatting down to his children's eye level when speaking with them — a move that inspired actress Anne Hathaway to do the same.
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Meanwhile, Kate "runs things at home with the kids and the schedules," a friend told PEOPLE.
"She is hugely involved in every single part of their day," the friend added.
Kate and Prince William, both 40, are present parents, from being there for school pickup to letting the children argue over what songs to play during breakfast. They also prioritize time outdoors whether rain or shine, from family bike rides to visits to the beach in Norfolk.
"Kate likes to keep an ordinary life," a source said.
And that "ordinary life" includes chores! Kate revealed during an outing earlier this year that Prince George's job during a break from school was "moving feed" for farm animals.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Kate Middleton and Prince William with Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George at Trooping the Colour 2022
A source previously said that Kate "wants to emulate her upbringing, living in the countryside with a close-knit family. She desperately wants that normality for her own kids." That might be part of the reason the family is planning to relocate from their London home at Kensington Palace to a new residence some 30 miles west in Berkshire, the county that houses the Queen's primary residence, Windsor Castle.
Although the children's schooling was the primary reason to make the change, there are other benefits: Berkshire is also home to Bucklebury, where Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, raised Kate and her two siblings and where they still live.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony on June 5.
However, their children's time in the public eye is never far from the couple's minds.
"They know what's coming [as they near the throne] and want to give their kids as normal a start as possible," an insider previously said.
