Raising children is no walk in the park for any parent, especially when there’s the added complications of global fame, public scrutiny and royal duties. But, like many parents, it seems that the Prince and Princess of Wales have looked to the generation before them for examples on how to raise their three children; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. According to royal expert and host of the Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things podcast, Kate Williams, it is Princess Diana who has set the ‘blueprint’ for how to raise modern royals. Now, she says, many of her methods can be seen in the way the Wales children are being raised.
Kate explains that, despite being married to the next in line to the throne and raising an heir, she wanted to do things differently. ‘With William and Harry, Diana was determined - even though she was very young - that her children would not be brought up in a royal way,’ says Kate. One of the earliest examples of Princess Diana going against the grain was when she went on an official tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1983 and refused to leave Prince William (who was just a few months old at the time) behind.
‘She took William with her on tour to Australia. She insisted that he must come too, as he was her baby,’ says Kate, of the decision that was later dramatised in series four of The Crown.
Once her second child, Prince Harry, came along and the boys grew older, Kate explains that Princess Diana made a concerted effort to ensure her sons had as many ‘normal’ experiences as possible. ‘She insisted that William and Harry would go to the cinema and go to theme parks,’ says Kate. She also explains how she took them to visits charities with her to ‘see what people have been through in terms of suffering,’ something Prince William has reflected on as an adult.
Now that he and the Princess have children of their own, Kate says that the echoes of Diana’s parenting lessons can be seen in the way they are raising their family. ‘You can really see the blueprint of how Diana brought up William and Harry in the way that George and Charlotte and Louis are being brought up, with close family occasions and living as possible a normal life.’
Just as Princes William and Harry were spotted out and about enjoying themselves and in regular settings, ‘there’s sightings of [the Wales children] in supermarkets and swimming pools and going trick or treating.’
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And, continuing Princess Diana’s charitable legacy, Kate Williams says, ‘we've seen the beginning of George being taken to charities that reminding him that they are incredibly fortunate and there are many people who are suffering in society.’
In December, Prince William took his eldest son to visit homeless charity The Passage where they helped preparations for the annual Christmas party. According to the organisation's website, the father-son duo made 'care packages and cupcakes for The Passage’s service users. Next they helped to decorate a Christmas tree donated to us by Westminster Abbey, followed by laying tables and preparing lunch to be served at the party.'
Kate hosts the history podcast Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things along with Royal biographer Robert Hardman. The podcast has released a special mini-series to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II, which is available to listen to now on all podcast platforms.
