Prince William is determined to parent his three children differently from how he was brought up, a royal book claims.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have adopted a softer approach to raising Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, to ensure they are “wrapped in love”. A biography written by Robert Johnson, titled Catherine, The Princess of Wales, which came out last week, describes how “protective” and hands-on William is.
Johnson, a royal correspondent and best-selling author, describes how the Prince has a more affectionate style of parenting than his father, King Charles, had when he was younger. In times of uncertainty, or if his eldest son George appears nervous in the public eye, William will soothe him with a sweet gesture.
William is always ‘close by to put a protective hand on his shoulder’, Johnson says ( Image: Instagram: @taylorswift)
Johnson writes: “William keeps a watchful eye on his son, and if George appears awkward or overwhelmed, his dad is always close by to put a protective hand on his shoulder. He has a more tactile parenting style than his father and wants his three children to look back on their childhoods with a feeling of being wrapped in love.”
This “very different way of bringing up” their children has also been noted by Jennie Bond, former BBC Royal correspondent, who told OK! that the pair have a modern approach to parenting, making them “far more relatable, and far more ‘normal'” compared to other royals. William and Kate want to ensure they are “wrapped in a bubble of love”, she said.
Jennie explained: “It’s all very well to repeat the royal mantra that ‘duty’ is paramount. But if you ask any ‘ordinary’ folk about their priorities. I have absolutely no doubt that almost 100% would say family. Family is what counts beyond anything.”
Kate and William want their three children to feel ‘wrapped in love’ and prioritised ( Image: KENSINGTON PALACE/AFP via Getty)
She added: “The late Queen had huge responsibilities when she was a young mother becoming monarch, as she did, when she was just 25. Charles and Diana were preoccupied to an extent by the mess their marriage had become, and like most children from a broken family, William and Harry felt the repercussions.”
“Perhaps feeling out of his depth as single dad, Charles retreated too often into his study to deal with his workload when he might have been better off kicking a football around with his boys.” She said Kate has drawn from her own upbringing, with parents Michael and Carole Middleton, Jennie added that she is “replicating” her “own happy, stable childhood”.
Their gentler approach included “never shouting, always listening to their complaints and tantrums, and allowing them to freely express their feelings and anger.” Jennie highlighted how this could yield “significant” benefits in the future by offering the children a much more well-rounded approach to life, which will allow them to maintain a “long and loving relationship with their parents.”
