Prince William's Kids Are Growing Up Much More Like Their Royal Dad Than We Knew

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The Prince and Princess of Wales might be thoroughly modern royals, but when it comes to raising their kids, the beloved couple is kicking it old school. As it turns out, the future king's kids are growing up in a very similar manner to their famous father. Although some of Prince William's parenting choices have left us scratching our heads, his decision to withhold cellphones from his kids is certainly one we can understand. While speaking to Brazilian media in November 2025, the royal was quizzed on his parenting tactics and revealed that Prince George, then 12, didn't have a phone, and nor did his two younger siblings. "I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access," William explained, per 10NewsAU. 

He admitted that the youngster wasn't exactly happy about it either. William, of course, didn't have a phone or an instant internet connection growing up, and he clearly wants his children to learn how to enjoy life without screens before they inevitably discover the lure of social media. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis' childhood mirrors their father's in more ways than one too. Sitting down for an interview on the Apple TV+ show "The Reluctant Traveler," in 2025, William spoke candidly about how he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of his parents, King Charles III and Princess Diana, saying he wants his kids to grow up in a happy home free of marital drama and tabloid noise. 

Unfortunately, the three young royals have most likely felt the strain of the media in their house already, especially after Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis made headlines for months on end. Their classmates, who probably have cellphones, could also impart information to them about their parents.

When it comes to what life was really like for Prince William and Prince Harry as kids, the answer is pretty heartbreaking. According to a column that royal biographer Ingrid Seward wrote for The Sun, in March 2024, William suffered a blow to the head at school courtesy of a golf club in 1991. It was a pretty serious injury, so much so that his parents were warned he might not survive the ordeal. While both King Charles III and Princess Diana initially made haste to get to the hospital where the prince was admitted, Charles didn't stay for long, instead opting to continue fulfilling his royal engagements. According to Seward, this incident stuck with William, and he's committed to never putting his royal duties ahead of his children as a result. 

Then, of course, there was Charles and Diana's acrimonious and widely-publicized divorce, which was made considerably worse by the extensive tabloid coverage — and the notorious 1995 interview that the People's Princess did with BBC's "Panorama," where she opened up about Charles' affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," Diana sadly divulged at the time (via Marie Claire). According to fellow royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl's book, "Kate: The Future Queen," William watched the interview at the time, and was "mortified" by what his mother revealed during it. It's no wonder, then, he's determined to make his marriage work and create a loving, safe environment for his kids.