Inside Princess Charlotte's Relationship With Her Dad Prince William

When it comes to public behavior, the royal family can be strict. Even royal children have to follow crazy rules, and for generations, royal parents were expected to present a formal and arguably distant dynamic with their kids when out and about. Once upon a time, we might not see a future king and his young child joke around on social media or share a hug at a sporting event, but Princess Charlotte's dynamic with dad Prince William is a different story. The two royals seem to have a genuinely lovely and fun bond.

Charlotte, born on May 2, 2015, has certainly encouraged her dad to let his hair down. While visiting Blackpool Park in 2019, William shared that he learned how to style Charlotte's tresses via YouTube. As reported by People, when Princess Catherine asked him if he tried to braid Charlotte's hair yet, he responded, "I can do ponytail, but that's about it as I don't have enough hair to practice on!"

Time and time again, William has spoken fondly about his only daughter. Per 5 News, when he was asked about Princess Charlotte just a few months after her birth, he replied, "She's been a little joy ... of heaven." Some years later, when he participated in an Instagram Q&A round for 2021 The Earthshot Prize, Prince William was asked whether or not he believes in unicorns, and this reminded him of Charlotte. He promptly responded (via Access Hollywood), "Well, I think, if you talk to my daughter, she'd say they're real." Suffice it to say, Princess Charlotte's relationship with Prince William sure is a delightful one.

Before Princess Charlotte was born, Prince William is said to have expressed interest in having a daughter. What's more, he is said to have even thought about what one of her names could be. In "William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story," author Russell Myers shared, "William had privately voiced his preference for having a girl."

What you may not know about Prince William and Princess Catherine's daughter is that her full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Her first name is a nod to her paternal grandfather, King Charles III, and her first middle name is, of course, in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.  And finally, her second middle name is for William's mom, Princess Diana. In "William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story," Myers also shared that William "was keen to incorporate a tribute to his late mother, most likely in the form of a middle name." 

After Charlotte was born, Kensington Palace put out a statement on behalf of Prince William and Princess Catherine. Per the BBC, the message went on to say, "They [William and Catherine] would ... like to thank everyone for their warm wishes." The Waleses' X account also shared a picture of piles of what appear to be messages from fans with the caption, "The Duke & Duchess are very grateful for the wonderful messages they've received on the birth of Princess Charlotte." It's also reported by the BBC that William told the people that he and Princess Catherine were "very happy," in light of Princess Charlotte's birth. This happened when William got away from the hospital for a bit as he was going to attend to Prince George.

There are several instances where Prince William's soft spot for his daughter, Princess Charlotte, has shone through. One such occasion was during the 2022 Commonwealth Games' Women's hockey match that was taking place between England and India. Charlotte appeared visibly unhappy with the direction the game was taking. At that point, William stepped in and tried to reassure his daughter. Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Laura Gwilt analyzed William's approach and explained to Hello! that he kept his eyes on Charlotte even when she was looking somewhere else. She said, his "gentle, steady touch on her shoulder in one moment and on her head in another signals physical closeness and availability without force." Gwilt continued, "From an attachment perspective, this can indicate a secure base."

A different expert, Judi James, who specializes in decoding communication and body language, also shed some light on William's dynamic with Charlotte with The News International. As James observed, "William's body language as he talks about his daughter is bashful, self-effacing, playful and, of course, besotted." She also shared that she thinks William and Prince Harry both tend to be openly affectionate toward their children. "It is common among all dads, [but it] might be more unusual with royals," she added.

Who would've thought that a future king would take his daughter to school? It might not be every single day, but Prince William has been spotted doing school drop-offs on a few occasions. For example, he was with Princess Charlotte when she first arrived at Thomas's Battersea. Kensington Palace's X account shared a video of the big moment and wrote, "Princess Charlotte arrives for her first day of school at Thomas's Battersea, joining her older brother Prince George." According to People, William even told a teacher there, "First day — [Charlotte's] very excited."

William and Princess Catherine were also walking with Charlotte, Prince George, and Prince Louis while dropping them off at Lambrook School. This was after they left Thomas's Battersea. During his interview on a 2025 episode of "The Reluctant Traveler" with Eugene Levy, William confirmed that he and his wife take their kids to school and even pick them up quite often. He shared, "Most days we're [William and Catherine] in and out of school doing pick-ups and drop-offs."

Unlike her husband, Princess Catherine was not born into royalty. Her parents are commoners, and she didn't have a royal title until she married Prince William. It's been said that William has a deep appreciation for the relatively normal way the Middletons raised Catherine. So much so that he tries to emulate some of that with his own kids, including Princess Charlotte.

In "William and Catherine, The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story," the author Russell Myers revealed that Prince William appreciates Carole and Michael Middleton's parenting style and "the normalcy of the environment." On the same subject, royal editor Duncan Larcombe told OK! in 2022, "William has based his children's upbringing on the Middleton model — three children, affluent, but hard-working parents and lots of love in the house." Larcombe also noted that even when Catherine was in her 20s, she saw her parents as her best friends. "That's what William and Kate are aspiring to with their children," he added.

Though their family is often seen at exclusive royal events and ceremonies, every now and again they get to do something "normal," like go to a Taylor Swift concert and exchange friendship bracelets. In 2024, William told Sky News that the bracelet he was wearing while he was visiting South Africa to promote the Earthshot Prize was made by Charlotte before they saw Swift perform in London earlier that year. He said, "This is a ... relic, if you'd like, from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided she wanted to create a bracelet for." He continued, "She gave it to me when I came away. So I promised that I'd wear it and try not to lose it." 

While some people's parenting style is a direct reflecting of their own parents' parenting style, there are other people who may go about parenting in a totally different way. This can reportedly be seen in Prince William's approach to child-rearing. British journalist Jennie Bond explained to OK! in 2024 that Prince William and Princess Catherine are "hands-on parents in a way neither Charles and Diana, nor the late Queen and Prince Philip ever were." She shared, "From the start they have cared for their children themselves as much as possible with minimal outside help."

Bond also told OK! that while the Prince and Princess of Wales recognize that their kids are in a wildly unique position, they hope to "make life more of a family affair than an upbringing in palaces and castles would allow." Prince William and Prince Harry were never the same after Princess Diana's death. However, William did seem to learn a lesson from her. The importance of doing regular things with children. In his "The Reluctant Traveler" interview with Eugene Levy, William shared, "[Diana] always understood that there was a real life outside of the palace walls." Case in point, William and Catherine reportedly get involved in their children's lives, including Princess Charlotte's, in meaningful ways. For example, they take it upon themselves to read stories to the children at night and even help them with projects.

On a few occasions, Prince William has let his protective side toward Princess Charlotte show. And it is absolutely adorable to say the least. For example, during the 2025 Christmas Day royal walkabout, a video shared on X showed Charlotte taking photos and interacting with the crowds. William stood a few feet away, watching the interaction, and sweetly asked his daughter if she was okay, to which the young princess replied, "Yeah." This was praised by royal fans online, with one account writing on X, "Awww William is such a wonderful father! Look at how happy and proud he is of her dear daughter. Just beautiful!"

That wasn't the only time William had Charlotte's back. Another one was during one of Princess Charlotte's most adorable moments when meeting the public. During the 2022 Commonwealth Games, William seemed to do a subtle check in with his daughter when they were at Birmingham University. When Charlotte was interacting with athletes during a meet, William gave her a gentle pat on the head. When netizens noticed this, they showered him with praise. For example, one fan shared their thoughts in the comments section of a video of the same that was shared on TikTok, "I love how they [William and Catherine] love her with the pats." Going off of that, a different person said, "Probably reassuring her too."

Prince William has experienced how divorce can impact children firsthand. As he said in his aforementioned "The Reluctant Traveler" interview with Eugene Levy, he tries to learn from his parents' mistakes and doesn't want to put his kids through the same chaos. He added, "I just want to do what's best for my children ... I know that the drama and the stress when you're small really affects you when you're older."

During the same interview, William also shared that his family is his priority, and so he makes it a point to have a proper work-life balance. He explained, "If you don't start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you're setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall." He seems to have learned this lesson from his father. Speaking to the Daily Beast in 2017 about the truth about Prince William and King Charles III's relationship, royals writer Penny Junor stated, "It is a slightly tricky relationship because Charles has always been quite a remote figure, he has always been consumed by work." Junor continued, "[Charles] made sure [William and Harry] were well looked after, but they are not as close as they might have been."

William doesn't just stop at doing his best to create a loving and stable home environment for  Princess Charlotte and her brothers. In 2021, an insider explained to Us Weekly that William has taken a different direction from the royal family, who are known for their "stiff upper lip." He, on the other hand, balances boundaries and rules with open communication. The source explained that William and Princess Catherine want the kids "to express their emotions and ask questions to enable them to grow up as healthy adults."

Prince William has been clear that he wants to instill good values in his children. In a 2016 interview with the BBC (via ABC News), he told British journalist Nick Witchell, "I take my duties and my responsibilities to my family very seriously and I want to bring my children up as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important." William seems to have taken notes from his parents. During his speech at the 2018 Charity Commission Annual Public Meeting (via The Royal Family), Prince William shared how, without him even realizing, his parents were "instilling in me [him] and Harry a lifelong habit to put charity at the heart of our [their] lives."

As such, we've seen William's kids, including Princess Charlotte, involved in various charity work. For example, back in 2020, Charlotte and Prince George joined their parents on their visit to Sandringham Estate, "where they packed up and delivered food parcels to isolated pensioners in the local area," as documented on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram account. Another example is when Charlotte and her siblings went to a baby bank in 2023 with Princess Catherine and volunteered. A video of Princess Catherine and the kids taking gift bags from the car was shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram reel.

Watching sports is a classic and tried-and-true bonding activity for parents and children — yes, even for royals. Prince William's middle child, Princess Charlotte, not only loves playing sports, but enjoys attending matches. And her dad, the future monarch, sure seems to enjoy attending the matches with her. 

Before the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final, in the spirit of the competition, William and Charlotte cheered on their favorite team in an Instagram post. They posed for a picture together, and the caption reads, "Let's go, @lionesses!" During the actual match, William and Charlotte looked disappointed when their team lost a goal, but then went on to share a hug when their team won. Communication expert Judi James shared her thoughts about the father and daughter's body language at the aforementioned match with the Mirror. She explained, "There are signals of shared joy and awe as the pair lean together waiting for the presentation of the trophies. With his arm around his daughter's shoulders and her legs crossed towards her dad, this is a rare moment for any royal, illustrating the leveling power of sport on everyone's psyche." 

As previously noted, Charlotte attended the Commonwealth Games with her parents in 2022, where she got to watch a variety of sports. She also joined William and Princess Catherine at the Wimbledon Championships in 2025. 

Children tend to learn different behaviors by mimicking their parents, and while we of course can't say for certain that is what's going on here, it does seem as though Princess Charlotte has taken on some of Prince William's behaviors. For example, during the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Princess Charlotte was seen sitting with her hands laced together in a fig leaf pose like her father, who was right next to her in the same pose. In response to a TikTok video about the moment, one commenter wrote, "Like father, like daughter." Another added, "So cute. She's like mini dad here beautiful Princess."

In another "like father, like daughter" moment, Charlotte was seen sticking her tongue out when she showed up at St. George's Chapel for Prince Harry's wedding in 2018. She did the same during a 2019 charity sailing event. In addition to being a cheeky moment — especially for a young royal — it also calls to mind some William moments of yesteryear. The future monarch famously stuck out his tongue at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's wedding at Westminster Abbey in 1986 when he served as a page boy. Decades later, William was photographed once again with his tongue out at the 2013 Order of the Garter ceremony at St. George's Chapel. We can't help but wonder if William has a habit of sticking out his tongue when kidding around with his children at home — and if that's where Charlotte picked it up.

Over the years, there have been a number of public moments that have offered a glimpse into Prince William and Princess Charlotte's sweet dynamic. For example, during the 2023 Trooping the Colour, William and Charlotte shared some adorable interactions. In some of the photos of the royal family posing together on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the event, William can be seen resting his hands on his daughter's shoulders as she holds his index fingers. At another point, the future monarch rested his hand atop the young princess' head lovingly as the two appeared to be talking about something.

The precious moments don't stop there. In 2022, the father-daughter duo recorded a beyond cute message to wish England's women's soccer team good luck. In this video, Charlotte leans toward William as she says, "Good luck. I hope you win. Bye." As she speaks, William looks at her briefly with a warm expression. That same year, William and Charlotte had another charming father-daughter moment at the Platinum Pageant. In a clip of the event (via Palace Confidential), Charlotte appears exhausted as she rubs her eyes. As William speaks to her and gently fixes her hair, she straightens up and nods her head.