Royal Traditions Princess Charlotte Already Follows

Born on May 2, 2015, Princess Charlotte has grown into a charming member of the royal family. Based on a number of viral moments — such as when she reminded her brother to bow or when she graciously accepted flowers from a young boy — it seems safe to assume she is learning the royal ropes fast. Body language expert Judi James has even gone so far as to tell the Mirror that Charlotte seems to be the leader of her siblings, calling her the "royal prefect."

Sure, Charlotte enjoys "Peppa Pig" and the "Toy Story" franchise like any other kid, but let us not forget that she also happens to be the daughter of a future king. While her older brother, Prince George, is next in line after their father, Charlotte also has an important role to play within the royal family. And it seems Prince William and Princess Catherine's daughter is already stepping into her role and following many of the age-old royal traditions set by those who came before her. Let's take a look at how Charlotte is following tradition so far.

You may have noticed that Princess Charlotte doesn't wear super trendy or casual kids' clothes. Well, that's all thanks to royal tradition; staying evergreen is the goal. "If [the royal kids] wear very simple things, it's about the child, and it's timeless in that you can't really date a specific photo or put them in something that seems out of date," royal children's wear designer Rachel Riley said to The Telegraph. "I think they are going for clothing that is classic and timeless, rather than clothes that draw attention to them." Needless to say, you're probably not going to see Prince William and Princess Catherine's daughter out and about in a Peppa Pig tee, printed leggings, and bright Crocs.

Like so many princesses before her, Charlotte has a wardrobe full of dresses. "If you look at photos of young royal girls — from Princess Anne to Charlotte, you will notice that they tend to wear smocked dresses as little girls when they are in public with their parents," Marlene Koenig of Royal Musings told Harper's Bazaar. What's more, Charlotte's birthday outfits always keep with tradition. Year after year, the young royal has sported dresses that feature floral prints — a style that has long been popular with the girls and women of the royal family. 

Christmas is a big to-do for the royal family, and yes, Princess Charlotte and her siblings are expected to stick to a number of traditions. Some of the traditions, such as posing for the family's annual Christmas card photo, are relatively relatable. Others, like decorating the late Queen Elizabeth II's tree, are unique to the royal family. 

Oh, but family's holiday customs don't end there. Rather than open presents on Christmas Day, the royals exchange gifts on Christmas Eve as a nod to the royal family's German heritage. Christmas Day also involves a visit to church, a big royal lunch, and a traditional royal Christmas cake. "It was always fruit cake — royal icing, marzipan and the traditional fruit cake," Darren McGrady, a former chef to the royal family, dished to Hello! magazine.

That's not to say the traditions can't be bent a bit. According to Mirror, Princess Catherine once revealed that her kids woke up early on Christmas morning in 2018 to open their presents. Charlotte also follows some traditions from the other side of her family. As noted in The Telegraph, her maternal grandmother, Carole Middleton, makes a point to set up trees for each of the grandkids to decorate at her home. And when the pandemic prevented the family from getting together before Christmas 2020, Middleton shared on Instagram that she kept with tradition by decorating her tree with her grandkids virtually. 

While young royals were typically homeschooled in the past, things changed in a big way when King Charles III attended a school in London before heading off to boarding school. Charles' sister, Princess Anne, also helped to change royal tradition, when, at age 13, she announced that she wanted to go to school, too. "I had a governess and two friends and that was never going to be enough, really, so I was only too pleased to be sent off somewhere else," she told Vanity Fair.

Princess Charlotte, like the royals from later generations, has grown up going to school, attending Thomas's Battersea before transferring to Lambrook School. However, she slightly broke from tradition by being one of the first royals not to attend an overnight boarding school. As parenting expert Jumaimah Hussain told Express in 2022, "It's long been thought that Kate and William would want to give their children as normal a life as possible, so sending them to boarding school doesn't seem like an option they would consider currently." Like Charles and Anne before them, Catherine and William's kids are paving their own way.

While going to school outside of the home may be a relatively new royal tradition, Lambrook School is very traditional. "The Lambrook experience combines first-class teaching and superb facilities with traditional values, set in the idyllic surroundings of 52 acres of beautiful Berkshire countryside," reads the website. Sounds perfect for the royal kids if you ask us.