The Parenting Tips Prince William And Kate Middleton Seemingly Took From Prince Harry's Memoir
As a father of two, Prince Harry has been attuned to letting his past experiences influence his own choices as a parent. "If I've experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I'm going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on," Harry explained during a 2021 appearance on the "Armchair Expert" podcast.
Harry's memoir "Spare" made some startling revelations when it debuted in January 2023, including offering an intimate look at his relationship with his father, King Charles III. The book's title comes from an anecdote that when Harry was born, Charles reportedly called him a "spare" as he already had a son who would eventually succeed him as king. As he grew, Harry felt subsidiary to his brother, William, Prince of Wales. Although Princess Diana believed that William shouldn't get preferential treatment because of his status as heir to the throne and Charles supported her decision, they reportedly had difficulty getting other family members, including the Queen Mother, to pursue a more balanced approach.
While the royal family has refrained from publicly commenting on Harry's memoir, one royal expert believes Harry's experiences have guided William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, in their own parenting choices. "It's very clear from his memoir, whether rightly or wrongly, that he felt shunted to one side and that even was with a mother as loving as Diana," royal author Gareth Russell informed GB News. "There can be a risk with younger children feeling overlooked."
William and Kate take a team approach and work to include all three kids
While Prince Harry predicted to The Telegraph, "out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, that worries me," it appears that William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are working to provide their kids with the mindset that they are a team. For example, during King Charles' coronation, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were all included in the historic event. While George served as a Page of Honor for his grandfather, King Charles, Charlotte, and Louis sat between their parents in the audience.
In addition, royal experts have observed that George and Charlotte began making public appearances at around the same time, so the two older children could rely on each other for support, similar to the relationship between King Charles and Princess Anne. Now that Louis is older, all three siblings have worked together at events, like in December 2023 when they volunteered with Kate at a baby bank.
Despite Harry's concerns, journalist Kinsey Schofield doesn't think Charlotte or Louis will grow up feeling like him. "I think the 'necessity' for a spare ends now," Schofield theorized to Express. "I think we'll see [William and Kate's] children go off to school, find careers that they're sincerely passionate about."
William and Kate take long breaks together as a family
Even though their three children are growing up under usual circumstances as royals, William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are endeavoring to give Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis a typical childhood. In 2022, William and Kate decided to move from Kensington Palace in London to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor so their kids could have more privacy away from the spotlight.
As someone who joined the royals as an adult, Kate relies on her own experiences from childhood to raise her kids. For instance, she's made sure to give her children plenty of opportunities to experience nature together. "It's a normal, busy family home with kids running around and knocking things over," a friend of the Waleses informed People. "There's no airs and graces."
Besides spending time with their children while taking them to and from school, William and Kate make an effort to give all three of their children plenty of attention during school breaks. In 2023, they opted to put their family first and make fewer royal appearances. While their three children were on summer break, William and Kate took extensive time off their royal duties in favor of family activities. In addition, when Kate made a health announcement as she recovered from abdominal surgery, she referenced in her statement "her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible," during the process.