Prince William’s ‘Middletonian’ approach shapes Royal kids

Despite bringing up his and the Princess of Wales’ children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – within the walls of the palaces, Prince William and Kate are determined to bring a dose of normal life into the childhoods of the future of the British monarchy. The couple are determined to set boundaries on the “stiff, old institution” and bring up their kids, especially the ones they expect to eventually carry the weight of the Crown, on a different basis.

According to author and journalist Catherine Mayer, that desire for their children to experience a real life upbringing has been inspired by the very down-to-earth, conventional lifestyles of the Middletons and she has revealed that the pair have consciously worked to keep any rigid royal rules at bay from the family. Speaking about the Cambridge children to a recent event, Mayer said: “When they gave up their first year as newlyweds, they tried to make quite a separate, private existence for themselves away from the pressures of public, public royal service.”

Escaping The Royal Bubble – The First Years

“But what that looked like at first when they moved to North Wales…they lived on anglesy because of William had to work as a helicopter pilot there at an RAF station,” Mayer said of the early days of their marriage. “And William wanted to escape there and have a more conventional life with his new wife, just for the first year after their marriage.”

The couple’s move to Norfolk in their early years also contributed to this more ordinary existence. They rented Anmer Hall a ten-bedroom Georgian manor in their country estate, so William can also have some time with East Anglia Air Ambulance Service, to provide his children with the sense of living an ordinary lifestyle, from visiting the shops to socialising among neighbours. “It gave them the chance to live like a typical family with ordinary activities and responsibilities – to go to local shops and socialising. Of course, not everyone lives the way in the palace on their own.”

However Mayer also said about this idylic and escapist life that “soon would William be called upon to stop playing at being regular people and fully embrace his destiny as a senior royal.”

What Exactly Is Middletonian Nurturing?

“However, in terms of looking after three growing children,” the royal insider noted, “the couple continued to fiercely defend any space where they still could maintain the balance that will offer those children a more normal Middletonian type nurturing. They refused to give it up, knowing full well that for generations of senior royals growing up in such environments has left a lot of very anxious and worried people.”

Royal Family – Latest News and Updates

Although it’s always felt like Kate’s parenting of George, Charlotte, and Louis would be a little different given their mother’s own upbringing it now seems to be part of a conscious effort by the royal couple. Instead of using the less personal, more hands-on Royal child carers that were often used in previous centuries, William and Kate are looking for a “ Middletonian nurturing” to maintain a level of normalcy for the young royals that generations of previous royal children lack.