The Strict Rule Carole Middleton Made Kate & Her Siblings Obey As Children

There are many weird rules you have to follow when you're dating a royal; luckily for Catherine, Princess of Wales, her upbringing prepared her for the traditions of the royal family after marrying William, Prince of Wales. In an interview with the The Daily Mail, Pippa Middleton, Princess Kate's sister, revealed that their mother, Carole Middleton, had a rigid stance on family dinner, which helped her children develop a maturity that many kids — and even some adults — lack.

"We were taught to eat properly and to eat together as a family three times a day," said Pippa, who grew up in Berkshire, England, with Kate and their brother, James Middleton. As Pippa recalled, her mom refused to cook separate food for the kids just because she made a meal for an adult palate. There were even times when Carole wouldn't let her children leave the table unless they cleaned their plates. "There were no exceptions," Pippa revealed. "And in the end I liked everything because I had to."

Dr. Kim Van Dusen, a licensed child therapist, parenting expert, and host of "The Parentologist Podcast," tells The List that there are benefits to Carole's approach to mealtime, saying it not only fosters stronger family bonds but also supports healthy habits. Eating together as a family has many benefits," Dr. Dusen said, "including improved mental health, reduced stress and anxiety, and a lower risk of depression and substance abuse." Dining on so-called grown-up food as a child seemed to have a lasting effect on Kate just as it did on her younger sister. During a visit to a nursing home in 2023, a resident told the princess that her favorite foods were kidneys and Brussels sprouts, to which Kate responded (via Hello!): "Oh, kidneys! I love kidneys too!"

There are also a few potential drawbacks to Carole Middleton's parenting style, according to The Parentologist herself, Dr. Kim Van Dusen. She says that forcing children to eat when they don't want to can lead to "an unhealthy relationship with food and negative eating habits — particularly an association of food with stress, fear, or shame rather than nourishment." That pressure can be detrimental to a child's development, with Dr. Dusen telling The List, "If a child develops a negative emotional connection to food and meals, it could increase their pickiness, power struggles, defiant behaviors, tantrums and meltdowns, and even in some cases, potentially disordered eating and-or body image challenges later in life."

Princess Kate and Prince William are parenting their children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — a little differently. This includes what William and Kate's children eat in a day, with the royal mom often letting her kiddos take the reins on dinner. According to someone from their inner circle, who spoke to People in 2020, the couple is much more relaxed in their approach than one might imagine for a royal household. "It's a normal, busy family home with kids running around and knocking things over," said the friend. "There's no airs and graces." According to the source, this is one of the ways the prince and princess keep their children grounded.