Prince William's Parenting Choices That Left Us Scratching Our Heads
Watching royal children grow up is a real treat. From the enormous excitement that starts the moment the public discovers a royal couple is expecting, to the delivery date, the photo op in front of the hospital, and the royal christening, there's plenty to look forward to for the press and royal watchers alike.
Something else we enjoy observing, of course, is the transformation our favorite royal couples undergo once they become parents. There's no arguing that royal parents face more pressure, thanks to the media and their fans observing their every move. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tried to keep their lives as new parents more private, with the couple refraining from posing for photographers outside of the hospital after Prince Archie's birth — this was only the first of many changes they made that deviated from royal tradition. Prince William and Princess Catherine however, being the future king and queen of England, have stuck to the rules, but that doesn't mean they haven't been criticized for some of their parenting choices. Catherine has had to deal with a fair share of criticism as has William, and we'd be lying if we said we haven't been a little confused by some of his parenting choices, too.
William didn't buckle new-born George into his car seat properly
Anyone who keeps an eye on the royals knows that when Prince William was a new dad, he made a few blunders with Prince George and every time it had something to do with a car seat — poor William, he was still trying to figure it out, and instead of being able to do it in private, he had to do it with the whole world watching.
The incident we're referring to occurred right after Prince William and Princess Catherine posed with their newborn baby on the steps of St. Mary's Hospital, as is royal tradition. Once the couple got ready to leave, several pictures were snapped of Prince George in his car seat, and these snaps ended up making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Royal commentator for CTV News, Richard Berthelsen, pointed out that little George was still wrapped in his baby blanket when he was placed in the car seat and the straps around him weren't secure and were fastened incorrectly. Berthelsen also pointed out that William forgot to lower the carrying handle. "Many manufacturers recommend the handle be pushed down once the seat is in," Berthelsen noted. Perhaps William hadn't gotten around to reading the manual?
Of course, some outraged parents took to social media to criticize William for this (understandable) blunder. "I noticed this INSTANTLY and my stomach turned. I even posted it on Facebook. I'm SHOCKED," one user on BabyCenter.com said.
William let George's car seat face forward during a drive
Barely a year later, Prince William faced yet another car seat conundrum. This time, he was criticized for installing a forward-facing car seat for Prince George in the royal limousine. Well, technically the prince didn't install it himself — he's got people for that — and in this case, the Plunket charity did the honors. The thing is, it was later revealed that the prince and Princess Catherine requested the car seat face forward.
It's legal to install front-facing car seats for babies who can sit up straight by themselves in the U.K., but Plunket makes it clear that rear-facing car seats are preferable until a child turns two because they better protect the toddler's spine, neck, and head. The charity faced plenty of backlash for honoring William and Catherine's wishes instead of sticking to their proposed guidelines. As you can probably guess, infuriated parents took to social media to criticize the couple's choice. "They [William and Catherine] have made an irresponsible decision about facing their baby forwards in the car," one person commented on Plunket's Facebook page (via the Daily Mail). Others said that the charity had just ruined its reputation.
William and Catherine probably had their reasons for requesting the car seat be installed facing forward. For all we know, Prince George didn't tolerate a rear-facing car seat very well. Either way, William never explained their decision.
William once let two of his kids drive without car seats
The car seat saga continued in 2018 when Prince George and Princess Charlotte were both in attendance at Princess Eugenie's wedding. While the little royals were driving past excited onlookers, some noticed that neither of them appeared to be strapped into a car seat. U.K. law clearly states that children under the age of 12 need to use a car seat. There are exceptions, however. For instance, the U.K. government's website states that "a child aged 3 or older can travel in a back seat without a child car seat and without a seat belt if the vehicle doesn't have one."
A closer look at a video of the little royals' arrival shows that Princess Charlotte was not wearing a seatbelt or strapped into a car seat that day. In fact, it almost appears as if she's standing upright. Then there was George, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt either. He also appeared to be standing upright inside the car.
Founder and CEO of The English Manner, Alexandra Messervy, tried to explain the video to InStyle. "Because many of the royal cars are of a type and age where seat belts were not fitted it would not be possible to fit child seats or seatbelts securely and safely," she explained. Upon closer inspection, however, it's clear that the car does indeed have seatbelts, which means the children's little expedition to church wasn't quite legal. Why this was allowed is unclear.
William let George drive in the front seat when he was small
Just when people started to forget about the great car seat conundrum of 2018, Prince William was spotted driving with Prince George riding shotgun while on their way to Queen Elizabeth II's annual Christmas lunch in 2019.
Soon, various outlets were speculating about whether or not the little prince, then 6, was even allowed to drive in the front seat. While it did seem odd that William let George ride shotgun at first (since the back seat is typically much safer for young children) it turns out that U.K. laws have nothing against it — as long as the child in question is safely strapped in. The little prince was wearing his seatbelt, and People reported that he was apparently strapped into a booster seat, which made wearing the car's built-in safety belt much safer and more comfortable.
While most U.K. citizens probably knew William wasn't exactly in the wrong, laws and recommendations differ from country to country, and that led to some confusion among royal fans who don't hail from the U.K. For instance, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children aged 12 and younger should use the backseat. Of course, it wasn't like William and George were traveling a long distance, but anything can happen, and if it did, the little royal would've been much safer in the backseat.
William took Catherine on holiday shortly after giving birth
Prince William faced plenty of backlash when it came to light that he and Princess Catherine were jetting off to the Maldives to spend a week at a resort. The getaway marked the couple's second honeymoon and the reason many were critical of the royals' vacation is because they went to the Maldives sans 7-month-old Prince George.
It's possible that William thought Catherine deserved the brief reprieve after all the media fanfare that surrounded the little prince's birth. Those in the know would remember that Catherine also suffered from very severe morning sickness during her pregnancy with George. Still, the backlash was to be expected. With their lives under a constant microscope and their baby just over half a year old, people were bound to have some opinions.
Many took to social media to criticize the couple's trip with some even going as far as to say that William and Catherine were basically on a permanent vacation — the couple had been holidaying in Mustique (with little George) a few weeks prior to the Maldives trip. "Seems its [sic] just one long holiday for the D and D of Cambridge," one person posted on Mumsnet (via the Daily Mail). "I like them but am shocked by this ... Can't imagine choosing to be so far from my baby for so long," another weighed in. "These two really p*** me off," someone else said.
William took his young children on a long and tedious state trip
While royal trips appear to be pretty fun, they definitely aren't that glamorous for the royal children who have to tag along. Prince George and Princess Charlotte can tell you all about how exhausting (and potentially very boring) these trips can get when you're just a toddler. Bored and tired toddlers tend to be cranky, as any parent would know, so it was a bit odd when William and Catherine decided to bring their two young children on a state trip in 2017. The couple visited Poland and Germany, and the little royals came along for the ride, albeit a bit unwillingly at times.
Some royal critics claimed that George and Charlotte's presence during the state trip was an intentional move made by William and his wife to keep people more focused on their adorable children instead of the recent Brexit developments. Some fans reportedly grumbled that the royal couple was so obsessed with their public image that they hadn't spared a thought as to how the trip would affect their young children.
In photos published by People, George and Charlotte can be seen exhibiting typical toddler behavior — in one picture, a very tired-looking George is rubbing his eyes, and in another, Charlotte is crying after taking a fall. In a picture of the family of four stepping off the plane in Berlin holding hands, Prince George can be seen looking pretty cranky.
William took George on a hunting trip
Prince William had PETA knocking on his door after taking Prince George on a grouse shooting excursion close to Corgarff, Scotland, in 2020. The royals have received plenty of criticism for their love of hunting in the past. Prince Philip, for instance, had animal activists hot under the collar when he shot and killed a tiger during a trip to India in 1961. He also apparently managed to fulfill his goal of killing 10,000 pheasants in 1993. Prince William and Prince Harry faced the same criticism when they went on a boar-hunting trip in 2014. Many are of the opinion that William's hunting excursions don't line up with his animal conservation campaigns.
One would think that, since it's clear the world is starting to take animal rights and welfare more seriously, it would be wise to refrain from teaching your children to hunt for sport, but William did the exact opposite and took George with him to watch as he and the rest of the family in attendance shot grouse. PETA condemned this, telling the Daily Mail that this could "desensitise George to the suffering of animals." The organization called hunting for sport "a violent perversion" and said that witnessing this cruelty could be detrimental to young George's psyche.
No parent is perfect, but we can't believe William didn't see this one coming. And after all, there are much more productive and valuable hobbies than hunting. Just saying.
William once posted a Father's Day picture with just one of his kids
Prince William and Princess Catherine have made it somewhat of a tradition to post pictures of them and their children on special occasions and holidays, and while fans usually can't stop doting over snaps of the young royals, many grumbled about the photo Willam and Catherine's joint Instagram account posted for Father's Day in 2019.
The prince was pictured supporting his youngest son, Prince Louis, on a swing. A second picture accompanied the first, showing William with his father, King Charles III. While many couldn't get enough of Louis' cute pout in the picture, others pointed out that two of Williams's children were missing from the Father's Day pictures — Prince George and Prince Charlotte weren't featured anywhere. "Seriously, does William not have a pic of him and all three of his children?" one user commented. "Every parent has a favorite kid right? Maybe this is his," another wrote. "I could be wrong but I think there are two more children who love you. Too bad of the perception this picture creates," another weighed in.
It's not clear why William opted to post just the picture of him and Louis — perhaps he thought the candid shot alone was enough to satisfy royal fans and the media. Clearly, it was not. There were some who clapped back at the Negative Nellies in the comments, saying they should be thankful the prince shares family photos at all.
William's kids have switched schools a couple of times
Going to school for the first time can already be traumatic enough for a little one, but Prince William's children have switched schools a couple of times, thanks to him and Princess Catherine continually moving around.
For instance, Prince George was first enrolled in Westacre Montessori School Nursery in Norfolk. This was closest to William and Catherine's Anmer Hall home. The couple didn't live there for long, however, and soon moved to Kensington Palace. Instead of George continuing his education with his friends from Norfolk, he had to make new friends at Thomas's in Battersea. Sending George to this school was a break in royal tradition — both William and Prince Harry attended the all-boys school, Wetherby, which is within walking distance from Kensington Palace. Many wondered why William opted to send his son to Battersea instead, which is a 30-minute drive from the palace. As it turns out, he and Catherine wanted all their children to be able to attend the same school, and sending George to Battersea meant that Charlotte could join him. When William and Catherine moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in 2022, they opted to send all three of their children to Lambrook, which meant that George and Charlotte had to leave their Battersea friends behind.
At least William's kids learned how to navigate change early in their lives, which will definitely be beneficial in the future.
William has insisted that George attend boarding school
Prince William and Princess Catherine thought it was important that all their children attend the same school. Needless to say, William's plan to send Prince George to boarding school when he turns 13 came as a surprise to many. Word has it that Catherine wasn't eager to send her son away and tried to change William's mind, but to no avail.
When William and Catherine moved their family to Windsor, royal expert Joe Little said that one of the main reasons for the change was to give the royal children a chance to have a more normal life. "Relocating to Adelaide Cottage in the ultra-private Home Park at Windsor takes away the 'goldfish-bowl' aspect of the Cambridge family's life," he said (via the Mirror).
Since William didn't send Prince George and Prince Louis to his old school, Wetherby, many thought he'd continue creating new traditions by not sending George to Eton. Alas, for some reason William isn't budging when it comes to this particular boarding school. "Kate thinks sending him to such a stuffy, upper-crust institution goes against all of their efforts to modernize the monarchy. Plus, she'll miss George desperately. She and William argued about it for years, but he has finally won," a source told In Touch. Apparently, William has told George all about his time at Eton and how fun it was, which convinced the young royal that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps.