Growing up royal isn’t what it used to be.
Fans of the British royal family have grown accustomed to seeingPrince George,Princess CharlotteandPrince Louisin both formal and casual settings. They appear alongsideQueen Elizabethon the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour, and weeks later they’resnacking from the trunk of the carwhile dad Prince William plays polo.
However, this contemporary way of raising monarchs-in-training wasn’t always the case.
“Even the Queen in the ’50s said she wanted her children brought up as normally as possible,” biographer Ingrid Seward, author ofRoyal Children,says in this week’s PEOPLE cover story. “But it’s a fantasy [to say that].”
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WhenPrince CharlesandPrincess Annewere young, they were only able to see their monarch mother at two appointed “meetings” each day. Even whenPrince AndrewandPrince Edwardwere born in the 1960s, it was a “nanny-dominated world,” says Seward.
In addition,Queen ElizabethandPrince Philipwould often leave their children at home while traveling on royal tours. “People didn’t travel with their children then,” Seward explains. “There wasn’t so much communication — the nanny would ring up and announce to Charles, ‘Mummy’s on the phone from Australia.’ ”
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Princess Dianamade it a point to give her two sons, Prince William andPrince Harry, as normal a childhood as possible despite their royal roles. They would be seen on the regular outings kids take, from trips to the amusement park to McDonald’s.
William and Kate followed Princess Diana’s lead when they took George on tour Down Under when he was just 9 months old, and brought Princess Charlotte along to Canada when she was just 2. Harry andMeghan Marklewill do the same this fall when they bringArchie, born May 6, on theirroyal tour of Africa.
“This will be their first official tour as a family!” they announced on Instagram, in another contemporary twist.
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Despite having the help of trusted nannyMaria Turrion Borrallo, Kate and William are making sure to follow in Diana’s footsteps and be hands-on parents.
“The Cambridge kids are really lively,” a source tells PEOPLE. “You can see Kate is a great mom. Clearly the kids are having fun.”
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Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton on charity sailing day 2019.ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty
An insider says that “George is more reserved, and Charlotte is more outgoing.”
Both personalities were on display at Kate and William’s charity sailing race last week, with Charlotte playfully sticking out her tongue at one point.
“Kate just handled it wonderfully,” says a longtime royal observer. “She just laughed, and it was really lovely to see. For once you looked at them and thought, ‘They’re a family,’ rather than ‘the royal family.’ “
source: people.com
