Prince William and Kate Middleton have been praised for the way they are raising their children – Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 – with fans most recently gushing over how “well-mannered” they were at the Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
And it seems like treating them like normal children – i.e., not future heirs and royals – might be part of the reason why they are so well turned out!
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Prince William And Kate Middleton Have No Live-In Staff And Want Their Children To Do Their Own Chores
According to royal biographer Robert Hardman, the Prince and Princess of Wales have "no butler" in their eight-bedroom Forest Lodge home in Windsor Great Park, which they reportedly moved into last year after previously living at Adelaide Cottage. He said: "It's very much them at home with the kids."
Hardman wrote in his book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story that "the couple did not seek to boost the staff members" at their previous home in 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 multitasking attendant who looks after everything from luggage to uniforms, but there is no 'gentleman's gentleman' on the staff. And certainly no butler," he continued.
This doesn't mean that everything is left to Prince William and Kate though; an insider previously told the Daily Mail that all three children pull their weight with chores because the Prince and Princess of Wales want them to have normal lives and do "ordinary" things.
"I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home," the insider told the newspaper. "The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they've finished eating, and tidying up. There's no preferential treatment."
What Other Rules Do Prince William And Kate Middleton Have To Give Their Children A Normal Childhood?
Although the Wales family reportedly have no live-in staff at their home, they do have a nanny, housekeeper, and gardener on the grounds regularly. But there are rules for them and anyone else who works for the family...
According to The Mirror, the few staff they actually have are required to abide by "one strict rule in order to protect their three children." And that rule is that there is a strict zero-tolerance policy for gossiping! Prince William and Kate reportedly said that applicants had to be skilled at "maintaining confidentiality and exercising discretion." Makes sense!
According to Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown author Valentine Low, the Prince and Princess of Wales believe that dressing casually as often as possible is another way to keep their children grounded. "The kids run around the office, and he [William] does not want it to be stuffy," a source told Low. "If we have important meetings or are going to Buckingham Palace, then of course we [dress up]."
It's been reported many times that the Princess of Wales likes to do the school drop-off and pick-up, in order to keep things as normal for the children as possible. The rules they have for their children are clearly working!
