Kate Middleton and Prince William’s parenting rules include no shouting, no TV before tea and more
They might be part of the most famous family in the world but when it comes to their parenting style, Prince William and Kate Middleton are just like any normal mum and dad.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a hands-on approach to parenting – which includes a no-shouting policy, never going to bed angry, and banning all TV before teatime.
Speaking to The Sun, a royal source revealed that “shouting is absolutely ‘off limits’” for the Cambridge children at all times.
Instead, the kids are encouraged to discuss what it is that’s bothering them in a more constructive manner.
The source said: “The children are encouraged to talk about their feelings.
“They express their concerns over school subjects, a swimming class, a tricky ballet manoeuvre, a missed tennis rally, or seeing children starving on a TV ad. But a talk ensues and a solution found.”
William and Kate have adopted the family’s no-shouting rule themselves in order to present a “united front” to their children.
“There is no question of one parent saying ‘no’ and the other saying ‘yes’ later on as Kate and William want to present a unified parental front to their children,” our source added.
Last week, we revealed that there is no naughty step in the Cambridge household – instead, they have a “chat sofa” where Prince George, Princess Charlotte and two-year-old Prince Louis are sent if they start shouting.
William and Kate also ensure that the kids never got to bed angry and encourage their brood to always talk about their feelings.
It’ll come as no surprise that their children’s mental health is incredibly important to the couple – considering their recent work on the NHS’ Every Mind Matters and Heads Together campaigns.
“Emotional coaching is a Cambridge parental building block,” the source said. “Awareness of others less fortunate than themselves, physical and mental health and going to sleep in a calm happy house is so utterly important to them all.”
Since they went into lockdown at their Norfolk home Amner Hall, the family have settled into a new routine – which involves no television until after the children have had their tea.
“The television is not on throughout the day and programs have to be met with parental approval,” our source said.
When they are allowed to watch TV, Prince George and Princess Charlotte are said to be fans of CBBC’s What, Where, When, Why, Numberblocks and Horrible Histories – which “is a bit advanced but they love it.”
The source added: “There is the staple of Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine and cartoons on Disney Channel.”
When the Duchess designed her garden for the Chelsea Flower Show last year, she spoke about how important it is for her children to take an interest in nature and spend times outdoors.
The mum-of-three is said to encourage her kids to watch Andy’s Adventures on Cbeebies which is full of child-friendly animal and nature facts.
“All the children seem to like games and a quiz,” the insider said. “They get fired up [trying to find things from the show] in the garden.”
It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released stunning new photographs to mark UK Father’s Day represent the dramatic shift the royal family has taken in terms of parenting styles, says an Australian body language expert.
Dr Louise Mahler says the images of Prince William playing on the grass with his adorable three children are “truly breathtaking” and show just how far the House of Windsor has come in comparison to the dysfunctionality of previous generations.
“William is happy to have the children all over him, carrying their weight and holding no pretensions about being the foil for their play,” Dr Mahler told News Corp Australia.
“The smiles on the children’s faces, it’s the perfect embodiment of joy,” she said.
The images, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, reveal just how close the family is and how far removed they are from previous generations.
Dr Mahler singles out the photograph of William lying on the ground as his overjoyed children swamp him as particularly moving.
“The intimacy of the children with William and with each other is something any father would dream to have,” she told News Corp.
“His arm gently around them, their relaxed bodies. Truly breathtaking.”
The shot of the family posing on a swing — a wedding present from Prince Charles — reveals the Cambridges have a warm and intimate family dynamic, Dr Mahler says.
“Even in the posed shot, the family look completely relaxed. Look at Louis, totally at peace on Daddy’s lap with his father’s soft arm around him.
“Charlotte leaning on Daddy’s shoulder and George with a playful look completing the picture behind.”
Dr Mahler said William’s full smile and bared teeth “shows his lack of protective posturing”.
“Teeth in ancient times were protected and to show one’s teeth is to remove all shields,” she said. “There are no shields in this family.”
Dr Mahler described the image of a relaxed Prince William with his arm around his father Prince Charles, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge over the Christmas period at Sandringham, as unprecedented in terms of royal photographs.
But despite the happy smiles, she believes William’s eyes told a different story.
“This is a picture the likes of which I have never seen before in my life when it comes to the royal family,” Dr Mahler said.
“In this image Charles is the child and William is the father, it is extraordinary.
“Look at how proud Charles is, how he leans on Williams like a little boy, like Charles is one of the children, you can see that it is a beautiful moment for Charles.
“Yet William’s smile is different in this photo to that of the one with his children where his eyes had lit up, with his father, his mouth smiles, however his eyes show a responsibility.”
The photos came as part of a tribute by Prince William and his wife Catherine to their fathers to mark the UK Father’s Day.
Catherine shared a childhood image taken with her father Micheal.
In the photo, an adorable Catherine is pictured with her hair in bunches wearing a checked shirt as she sits on her father’s knee.
Kate is known to be close with her father, while the royal family has embraced members of the Middleton clan.
“Of all the in-laws whose offspring have married into the royal family in recent years, the Middletons have been the most embraced,” Majesty magazine’s editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward wrote in The Sun last year.
“Mum Carole’s glamour and business acumen and dad Michael’s gentle nature and charm have proved the perfect elements for their eldest daughter to become the future queen.
“Kate’s stable background instilled in her a natural confidence, which has helped her so much in royal life.”
The family images of Prince William show him looking happier than ever as he embraces fatherhood.
In stark contrast, his brother Prince Harry has been weighing into British culture wars from his exile in the United States, while wife Meghan Markle deals with the fallout of her close friend caught in a race row.
Prince William, the future king, has been doing his duty, rallying the spirits of the nation with video calls to hospitals, and visits to shops as the UK tried to get back on track after it endured the worst coronavirus death toll in Europe.
But his brother, 35, has appeared rudderless as he tries to carve out his new role in the United States where even his charity, Archewell, was struggling to be registered because its aims were “too vague.”
Prince William said last week when meeting ambulance crews in Norfolk he was looking forward to having a pint at the pub when they reopened in the UK, which was most likely on July 4.
And he added he had been enjoying some extra home cooking during Britain’s three month lockdown.
“I’m worried about the waistline of the nation as well, with all the chocolate and cakes,” he said.
“I’ve done a lot of baking at home. Chocolate goes down very well.”
As Prince William kept the nation going in Britain, the Duke of Sussex, who left the royal family in January for life in Los Angeles with wife Meghan, has told UK rugby fans to stop singing one of their favourite songs.
Prince Harry has sided with the Black Lives Matter movement to tell rugby supporters to avoid singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot because of its links with slavery.
The rugby fan, who has sung the tune that has become England rugby’s unofficial anthem many times, has backed the Rugby football Union’s ban.
The song was first sung at Twickenham in 1987 to honour Martin Offiah, an England player of Nigerian descent.
“The Duke is supportive of the comments that the RFU made this week regarding the review and he will follow the lead of the RFU on the matter,” a spokesman for Prince Harry said.
Prince Harry and Meghan were also in touch with the Black Lives Matters protest groups and were likely to become outspoken advocates, The Sunday Times reported.
Meghan, 38, has spoken before of her race, saying at a royal engagement in Nyanga, the murder capital of Cape Town, South Africa, she was a “woman of colour.”
But her close friend Jessica Mulroney, 40, was forced to quit a charity following a dispute with a black influencer who accused her of “white privilege”.
The Queen, 94, remains in isolation at Windsor Castle and will not be able to have Prince William around for his birthday, as she remains shielded to protect her from coronavirus.
However, she has been on video calls recently, including to Prince Harry’s son Archie for her birthday in April.
Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born second in line to the throne at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21, 1982.
He weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz and was the firstborn son of heir to the throne Charles and Diana, the Princess of Wales, who tragically died in a car crash in 1997.
Originally published as Kate Middleton and Prince William’s parenting rules include no shouting, no TV before tea and more
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