Normal Things Prince George And Prince Louis Will Never Be Allowed To Do
Royal life seems to come with a lot of perks. The three children of Prince William and Princess Catherine live an extremely lavish life. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis all have access to the best things in the world. They live in palaces and have several country homes to escape to when life in London gets too noisy. At such young ages, they're already well-traveled, and they're front and center at every major royal event. At King Charles III's coronation, George played a central role, highlighting his place in the line of succession as the eldest child of the heir apparent. Their education is equally lavish, as they attend London's most elite schools, paving the way for successful adult lives. Plus, they already have massive sway over the economy of the United Kingdom. It's a lot for such young kids.
With so many perks, it's only natural that there are a few cons to such public-facing lives. There's already a long list of things Princess Charlotte is not allowed to do. For example, like her mom, she's stuck wearing pantyhose with dresses for the rest of her life. Plus she won't be able to wear a tiara until she gets married. Similar restrictions apply to her two brothers. George and Louis will face some obvious and unique restrictions in their lives as young royals.
George and Louis are not allowed to skip certain food groups on their plates
Royal treatment doesn't apply to how picky Prince George and Prince Louis can be about the food that's set before them. The young boys are expected to eat everything that's on their plates without exception. The Wales family are members of the exclusive Hurlingham Club in London, where they play tennis together and other sporting activities. Afterward, they often eat at the club, where an insider noted that the children are well-behaved and expected to eat what is served to them. "The family often dine there al fresco and use the club's sporting and play facilities," an insider said, per The Sun. "There is no tantrums or food throwing and the children eat what is set before them. They queue up with the rest of the kids and parents in the Harness Room restaurant and ask for no special favours."
Part of this good behavior is credited to their nanny, Maria Borrallo, who is firm and strict with the Wales children. Borrallo was trained at the famous Norland College. "Kate and William, along with Maria, are strict with the children but have this magic ability to appear not to be," an insider added, calling the family rearing "a military operation." In fact, there's a longstanding joke that children who were raised by Norland nannies don't grow up to be picky eaters. So there certainly isn't much leeway for George and Louis in negotiating their meals.
Prince George can wear pants now, but Louis has to wait a while
There's a longstanding tradition in the United Kingdom in which royal boys don't wear pants until about 8 years old. It was once referred to as a "breeching" ceremony, and a boy would mark his shift to manhood by wearing his first pair of pants. Nowadays, there isn't a formal ceremony around a boy's transition to pants, but the sartorial tradition remains. It's common in aristocratic English circles to see young boys in shorts and high socks for the first several years of their lives, and this has been no different for Prince George and Prince Louis. "I think it's definitely a look for the royals, and there is this rather strange thing in English schools where children have to wear shorts, even in the winter, with their freezing cold knees — it's almost like an unwritten code," children's stylist Sophie Mirman told People.
In July 2021, when George was 7, he joined Prince William and Princess Catherine as they watched the UEFA Euro 2020 Championships. George wore pants, a blazer, and a tie to the event, and it was a huge fashion moment for the little lad. Mirman applauded William and Catherine's choice to dress George in more formalwear. "I think his parents are fantastic at judging what to wear and when," she explained. "He is growing up fast and more of a young man than a little boy now."
They can't skip nap time or steer away from their strict schedules
When it comes to day-to-day life for the little royal lads, Prince George and Prince Louis don't have much say in negotiating their schedules. Their rigorous routine is enforced by the family's nanny, Maria Borrallo, who was trained at the prestigious Norland College in Bath, an institution famous for its exceptional pedagogy in child care. Borrallo, along with parents Prince William and Princess Catherine are going to make sure that the Wales children have a consistent daily routine.
Author Louise Heren, who's worked with Norland College, wrote a book called "Nanny in a Book" and explained what life would be like for the Wales children, as they're reared both by their parents and Borrallo. They would have a strict bedtime at 7 p.m. with little room for scheduling variation. When William and Catherine are at royal events, it's Borrallo who enforces this routine. "When you see William and Kate go off to a function and the children aren't with them, they will be having naptime," Heren explained (via The Sun). Though it's not all rigorous. Norland nannies are famous for promoting outdoor play time, and Borrallo would no doubt push the royal kids to have lots of fresh air. However, even when George and Louis are on royal tours and far from home, a consistent routine is still enforced by both Borrallo and their parents.
They can't misbehave in public
There's great emphasis put on the behavior of the royal children at public events. For Prince George and Prince Louis, training for public events began when they were very small. The conversation around royal children's behavior in public was amplified around the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, since George and his sister, Princess Charlotte, were given such prominent roles. As Louis was only newly born, he wasn't at this particular event. Etiquette instructor Myka Meier told People that the royal children would have received prior training for these public-facing events.
"Etiquette training for the royals starts as soon as they're old enough to sit at a table," Meier explained. "They are raised having formal meals, going to formal events and practicing everything from voice levels to dressing appropriately to even, of course, how to curtsy and bow. The children in the wedding would have been very well prepared through rehearsals and even learned wedding specific behavior and protocol."
From a young age, George and Louis have been tutored and trained in proper behavior for big events, since they're so heavily documented. Of course, things don't always go according to plan. Louis famously stole the show at the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. To be fair, he was only 4 years old at the time, but he made several quirky facial expressions and tried to cover his mother's mouth at one point. Kids will be kids, even royal ones.
They mustn't deliver a bad bow after the age of 5
Part of growing up royal means that Prince George and Prince Louis are expected to master the deference and respect that's given to the sovereign. This means that at a very young age, they would master the proper way to greet the king or queen, and would greet their grandparents with a bow. When the late Queen Elizabeth II was alive, George would have been expected to bow to his great-grandmother by the age of 5. Now that the monarchs are King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, George and Louis would be expected to follow the same protocol.
Royal historian Marlene Eilers Koenig told Hello! how royal children are expected to master this by a young age, with boys delivering a bow and girls giving a curtsy. "Certainly by age five. The only person they will curtsy or bow to is the sovereign. A royal highness does not curtsy to another royal highness. Yes, there are articles that state this, but it is not true." It wouldn't be a constant thing. George and Louis would be expected to bow to the monarchs when they first greet them, and again when they leave. For the rest of the activity, the boys would simply treat the monarchs as the relatives that they are.
George and Louis can't keep gifts; they're accepted on behalf of Britain
Gifts are a tricky subject for royal kids like Prince George and Prince Louis. The whole royal family can't accept large gifts, according to their official website, lest they become obligated to the gift giver. Despite that fact being common knowledge, the royal kids still receive loads of gifts. When George was a baby and visited Australia and New Zealand in 2014 with his parents, Prince William and Princess Catherine, he was given over 700 presents. This massive stash included clothing, stuffed animals, and toys for the little royal. Kensington Palace published an inventory of George's gifts as part of its transparency process around gifts given to royals. When George and Louis receive gifts while on an official royal engagement, the gift technically belongs to the sovereign. So any gifts that George and Louis receive while on royal walkabouts or royal tours are received on behalf of Great Britain.
However, gifts given by family members do not fall under this strict rule. When Louis was christened, his uncle Prince Harry allegedly shelled out £8,000 to get a first edition of A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh." It was a nostalgic gift since the late Princess Diana loved collecting first editions, so Harry kept the tradition alive with his nephew. Since this was from a relative, Louis was no doubt able to keep the special book.
George and Louis don't get to play with iPads
There isn't much screen time for Prince George and Prince Louis. Allegedly, Prince William and Princess Catherine's parenting style centers around play time and creative activities rather than the use of electronics. This includes a ban on iPads. "They're very much seen as Mummy and Daddy's toys, not for children," an insider told Us Weekly. "As two people who grew up without gadgets for entertainment themselves, William and Kate are firm believers in toys, outdoor play and encouraging an active imagination."
This lack of screen time is also enforced by nanny Maria Borrallo, who enforces outside play time over time spent indoors on electronics. Louise Heren, author of "Nanny in a Book," said that George and Louis spend a lot of time in nature. "There will be lots and lots of outdoor play. ... Lots of bike rides, playing with their dogs, potentially some gardening," she said (via The Sun). "Yes you are getting mucky with your hands in the soil but you are learning how to plant."
Many parents would likely love to make this common practice for their children, but such idyllic upbringings are easier when there's the constant assistance of a full-time nanny. Nevertheless, for George and Louis, a lack of screen time might be annoying. However, William told BBC Newscast that Louis is especially fond of the outdoors. "Louis just enjoys playing outside the whole time. He lives outside," William said of his youngest son.
They're not allowed to go out on school nights
No matter how many events and ceremonies Prince William and Princess Catherine go to in the evenings, this is not the case for Prince George or Prince Louis. Even for the royals, school nights are school nights and they aren't allowed to go out. Fans discovered this when William and Catherine attended a production of "Marry Poppins" at the London Palladium Theatre in November 2019. The royal couple got to meet the cast, and it was during this meet and greet that Catherine told the cast that her kids wanted to come but the rule was "not on a school night," per the Mirror. Though we certainly see the royal kids at daytime events.
However, even Catherine tries not to agree to too many engagements on school nights for her own role as a mother. Her three kids attend Lambrook School in Bracknell near their home, Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. Catherine tries to keep her royal duties relegated to school hours when her children are learning so that she doesn't have to miss their evening routines. There's certainly an emphasis on family routine and tradition when it comes to William and Catherine's parenting styles. But this does restrict George and Louis from seeing "Mary Poppins."