Prince William & Kate are raising ‘the most well-adjusted generation of royals ever’

Prince Louis and the Duke of Cambridge on the balcony, 2019 Trooping the Colour

I’ve said this many times before, but I genuinely think that the Duchess of Cambridge is a great mom and she loves being a simple upper-middle-class stay-at-home mom, doing the school runs and doing projects with the kids at Anmer Hall and that kind of stuff. While so much of Kate’s image is a carefully crafted persona, that has never felt false to me. She loves her children and motherhood is basically the only thing she gives a sh-t about. On the other hand, I’ve never bought into the image of William as a doting father – I think he’s largely tapped out and he leaves Kate to do the bulk of the child-rearing, despite the fussy, sugary narrative to the contrary. I think William has other country pursuits, you know? But because none of the royal reporters will actually talk about rose-bush-trimming, William gets credit for being the best royal parent ever, and raising the most well-adjusted kids ever:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge saw lockdown as ‘a rare gift’ because royal children are usually ‘unavoidably denied the privilege of prolonged time with their parents’, a royal expert has claimed. Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton, 38, spent the majority of the last six months at their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall with their children, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.

Now royal commentator Victoria Arbiter has claimed the period gave the Cambridge children a ‘privilege generations of royal youngsters have unavoidably been denied — prolonged time at home with just Mum and Dad’. Writing for Australian site 9Honey, she said the children would likely be ‘the most well-adjusted generation the royals have ever known’, adding: ‘For George, Charlotte and Louis a lifetime of duty eventually awaits, but thanks to the relative normality their childhood affords, their royal calling will feel less like a prison sentence and more one to be proud of.’

The royal commentator said the couple have ‘set a royal parenting precedent’ with their techniques. Victoria wrote that Prince William has long ‘strived’ to provide his children with the ‘stability he once craved’.

Meanwhile, she added that Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton have ‘remained at the heart of the Cambridges’ existence’ and offer a ‘stabilising force’ to the family unit. She wrote: ‘Given his admiration for their solid middle-class values and hands-on style, it’s hardly surprising Carole and Mike play such a significant role in their grandchildren’s upbringing.’

She commented that the combination of Kate’s focus on early years education and the Middleton’s ‘nurturing presence’, alongside Prince William’s focus on mental well being and the Windsor traditions, would lead the Cambridge children ‘to be the most well-adjusted generation the royals have ever known.’ Meanwhile Victoria added that Prince William and Kate are ‘paving the way’ for ‘royal children of tomorrow’ with their parenting techniques.

[From The Daily Mail]

I mean, Princess Diana was really the one who changed the way royal children are raised. Diana and Charles both wanted William and Harry to have real childhoods too, and they tried their best to keep the kids out of their own dramas. I think “stability” is an interesting word choice there – the stability William craved, meaning no divorce, no tabloid war, etc. Fair enough. But what William and Kate have actually created is just a throwback to the way most aristocratic families operated for centuries. The wife at home with the kids while the husband gallivants around the countryside, trimming rose bushes.

King's Cup regatta

Royal visit to South Wales

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172 Responses to “Prince William & Kate are raising ‘the most well-adjusted generation of royals ever’”

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  1. BayTampaBay says:

    “‘For George, Charlotte and Louis a lifetime of duty eventually awaits”

    Does anyone think that Charlotte and Louis will actually become working senior royals?

    • Myra says:

      Poor Charlotte and Louis. A lifetime of cutting ribbons and unveiling plaques await them in exchange for subjecting their chosen spouses and children to public derision. Let’s hope, for their own sake, none of their spouses have charisma.

      Also, William and Kate will have quite the surprise coming if they believe children raised in Stepford households don’t rebel.

      • Chickaletta says:

        I honestly don’t think George will ever become a king. Charles may sway public favor somewhat, but IF William is crowned, he will be the last.

      • Myra says:

        I’ve seen people say the monarchy will end after Elisabeth. I think as long as the right wing press are able to sway public opinion (which they clearly do), the monarchy will continue to exist. It’s only once the influence of the media is completely weakened or there is growing influence of left wing media for balance, that the monarchy would come to an end. The republican movement is considerably weak in the UK.

      • yinyang says:

        @Myra yeah the right wing is small group but make the top most money thats why they have so much influence especially when the left are not paying attention, case in point Trump.

      • Tessa says:

        I wonder about how William will deal with his children finding partners. If he gets as controlling with the children as he had with Harry, They will rebel.

    • notasugarhere says:

      I’ll bet that’s what Kate and Carole have in mind. But if nothing else, Harry’s departure has set the path for only the heir being a working royal. The two younger kids should be raised to earn a living. And since it is such a to-do about Harry’s titles? They should immediately stop referring to those kids with their HRH or prince/princess titles.

      • Tealie says:

        I agree, I find it rather ridiculous that children have titles I don’t think any royal child should have titles until they are 18 and elect to have them like Archie or Zara.

      • Feeshalori says:

        Zara and Peter aren’t royal and never had titles at birth that they could decide to use when of age. That condition pertains to James and Louise, Prince Edward’s children.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        Based on what I have read, the only reason Anthony Armstrong-Jones agreed to accept a title was because Margaret and The Queen Mother wanted David & Sarah to be titled.

        QEII wanted to do the same for Mark Phillips but both Anne and Mark Phillips said NO!.

      • Rosie says:

        they are wonderful parents and their children will benefit from such dedicated parents. love this couple to bits!

      • Clueless9x9 says:

        This! Once the heir marries and has a couple of children, everyone else after number ten in the succession line should lose their HRH titles.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Clueless9x9, they could remove the HRH and titles from the younger two now. Raise them as Mountbatten-Windsor. If something happens to the heir, they could always re-give the HRH and title to the next in line at that point.

        Rosie troll, well, nice try.

      • Carolind says:

        I think it is ridiculous the way Kensington Palace gives those kids the HRH and full titles whenever they are mentioned. The Queen probably did the same with her kids but when Charles was young, I think royal staff were told not to address him by his title.

        I also think it was wrong that a Letters Patent or whatever they are called should have been brought out to make Charlotte and Louis HRH. That should have waited until the queen died.

      • Tealie says:

        @Feeshalori err, I don’t know what drivel you’ve been reading, but Zara and Peter ARE and have ALWAYS been ‘Royals’ as grandchildren to the Queen, they just do not have titles by choice.

    • Elizabeth Regina says:

      Once the queen goes, that’s it for the monarchy unless Charles manages to rally support from his backers against Willileaks who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I pray the spare children end up marginally more intelligent than him as he barely scrapped through his degree so they can break free and earn a living. The shark press is already circling them and it’s only a matter of time before the negative comparisons start.

      • Carolind says:

        I don’t like William but he did not just scrape through his degree. He got a 2.1 which is a very respectable pass.

      • Tealie says:

        @Carolind Wiliam almost dropped out of university TWICE because he wanted to give up. He scraped by in his work through the years, but was given grace because he was a Royal, although he clearly survived in the end.

    • Isabella says:

      More likely a life of boarding schools. Indeed, all the comments about how busy the parents are and how taxing it is simply to drive them to school, make me think that William and Catherine are preparing the public for this next step. That is how aristocratic children are raised.

  2. Osty says:

    Who their father will sell out for good press if push comes to shove

    • (TheOG) Jan90067 says:

      He will…the same way Charles threw Harry under the bus when he “caught” him (AND WILLIAM) using pot in their “Club H(ighgrove)” party.

      He will…the way Charles threw them both under the bus to rehab Camilla.

      He will…

      It’s ingrained in him by example.

  3. truthSF says:

    Whew…they are laying it on tttthhhhhhhhhhhickkkkkk!!!!

    • Yup, Me says:

      Right?! This is basically how shows end. When they’ve jumped the shark and have nothing else to say or share so they start adding new kids to the cast and making the storyline all about them.

      The royals have jumped the shark.

    • cisne says:

      right?!🤜🤛

      • Liz version 700 says:

        This is basically when cousin Scrappy Doo gets added to the Scooby cast. You guys nailed it

  4. Lexistential says:

    They’re well-adjusted now, but they won’t be later when the press games escalate and the courtiers start prioritizing George over Charlotte and Louis (whom I worry will be designated as the next Harry).

    • L84Tea says:

      I was just coming to say this. It’s easy to say they are well adjusted NOW–they’re little kids. Their days are filled with reading, arts and crafts, music, etc. Literally childsplay. The real stability–or lack of–will show a few years down the road when they are older and George gets pushed to the forefront, leaving Charlotte and Louis to fend for themselves. Then we will see what they are made of.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        We have no idea what is really going on in Kate and William’s marriage nor how they are handling their problems.

        The marriage could be just as dysfunctional as the Charles-Diana marriage only in different ways. I have no problem believing that George, Charlotte and Louis could end up just as emotionally scared as Wills & Harry.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yup, and we already see it happening. The kids already know that George is “different” and that will just become more obvious as they get older.

      • L84Tea says:

        @BTB, of course it could be dysfunctional. I just mean that they are small children (royal children with access to the best of everything, including tutors and education) doing what children do–playing, learning, sticking their tongues out at cameras, etc. Generally speaking, all photos indicate healthy, happy kids. The heavy, burdensome stuff hasn’t come yet. But it will.

      • Tessa says:

        I don’t think it’s a marriage made in heaven. Kate waited out 8 years for the ring and william finally settled for her. For all that is known William could be emotionally distant with Kate and she will put up with it. I don’ t think the marriage is perfection by any means despite all the PR ops.

      • notasugarhere says:

        As another poster on here wrote a few years ago, the marriage is transactional and arranged in their own way. He gets to live as a single man, she gets status and a title. Not a recipe for happily ever after.

    • Megan H says:

      I really wonder if Kate will see the light on how horrible she was to Meghan when the same thing happens to Charlotte and Louis.

    • Nic919 says:

      They were saying the same thing about William and Harry and we all know what happened there. It isn’t the divorce that affected them but the bizarre emphasis on William being protected over Harry all the time, stunting his emotional development and generally making him a selfish asshole. Until that cycle is broken, none of the children will ever be well adjusted, and George, Charlotte and Louis will be just as messed up in a system when only George matters and the other two don’t. William and Kate are bad parents for not seeing this and for enabling an antiquated system that emotionally stunts generations.

      You know who is going to be well adjusted? Archie and any potential siblings, because he has parents that saw the monarchy for the deranged system it is and took him out of it so that he could be valued for who he is and not what his succession number happens to be.

      • Chrissy says:

        Well said, Nic!

      • Carolind says:

        George is in line to be king. Of course, he is going to be darn well different and unless the.monarchy is abolished Charlotte and Louis are going to have to live with it, harsh may it sound.

        Harsh though it might also sound every single parent on this earth f**** up their children in some way. There is even a poem about it!

    • The Recluse says:

      Considering how their parents are I am not optimistic about how the kids are going to turn out as adults. Daddy is lazy and self-indulgent. Mummy is a jealous mean girl with mediocre intelligence. Nope, unless some sort genetic individualism kicks in….

  5. Carol says:

    I’m sure they are lovely kids. They are kids. Wait till George doesn’t like how everyone is obsessed with Charlotte’s fashion and boyfriends and how they are stealing his limelight. What about playboy Louis? How will they get along then? What if Louis marries a biracial woman. What will happen then? If the family really values each other they will start to teach acceptance of differences and embracing diversity because that is what the Commonwealth and true Christianity is all about. And remember that George will be the head of the Church of England.

    • 10KTurtle says:

      What if one of them is… GASP… not a ramrod straight heterosexual??? I do enjoy how Arbiter is simultaneously complimenting William for his parenting and throwing shade at him for his own maladjustments.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        AcornTV has a comedy show about just this situation. It is called Henry IX and the Prince of Wales who chooses an “unsuitable” potential spouse is definitely not a ramrod straight heterosexual by any stretch of the imagination.

        The show is really good mindless entertainment and stars Charles Edwards, of Downton Abbey fame, as Henry IX, King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. Show is very well acted and is a straight drama played for laughs.

      • 809Matriarch says:

        I was just gonna say the same thing. Suppose Louis or Charlotte or even George is gay and their partner is not lily white as well. Wonder how that will play out?

      • BayTampaBay says:

        Will only be a problem for George as he will be the Head of the Church of England. For Charlotte and Louis it won’t matter once George is married and has his own heir & spare.

      • Tessa says:

        I think this could be a problem for Louis and Charlotte since Papa William seems to be a judgmental sort and might even each of them from partners he disapproves of.

      • notasugarhere says:

        It would also put their children (W&K’s grandchildren) out of the line of succession. Unless the children are born in wedlock, presumably in a man/woman pairing, they aren’t in the succession.

      • Carolind says:

        I know this might be hard to believe but we have already had non heterosexual royals.

    • Elizabeth Regina says:

      I foresee the spares seeking sanctuary with their uncle in the future. I will screenshot this comment as it may age well.

    • Tealie says:

      Or worse, actually I don’t know if it’s worth what if one of them like Louis is gay?? I don’t think like Edward with the Queen they will try and hide it to fit in now use a beard as a cover. Gen Zers aren’t shrinking violet, nor are they scared of being ‘different’ or their sexualities.

  6. Tiffany says:

    *reads headline and laughs*

    Y’all.

    *reads story and laughs louder*

    Y’ALL !!!!

  7. Merricat says:

    You cannot be “well-adjusted” if you believe that you were born better than everyone else.

  8. Züri says:

    Yes, well-adjusted today children see mummy and daddy acting out antiquated gender and relationship norms, among other problematic phenomena of the Cambridges’ life/ lives.

  9. HeatherC says:

    Let’s check back in a few years when they’re teenagers. Charlotte and/or Louis will be trained and expected to be scapegoats for their extra special older brother.

    I did like the specific mention of the Middletons. This comes straight from them. If/when William becomes king will anyone be surprised when the Middletons get titles?

    • Bess says:

      Will Carol and Mike still be alive if/when William becomes king? We’re looking at another 25 years or so in the future.

    • Tealie says:

      Carol is gunning for that title or some kind of influence and power, I can see them trying to name her ‘Queen Mother’, despite the fact that it’s meant to be saved for the mother of the reigning monarch. She is gonna be a terror. Worst than the current Queens own mum.

  10. Snuffles says:

    Kids see and hear EVERYTHING and can pick up on vibes. If Will is out trimming rose bushes, they’re gonna notice something is off. If Mummy is bitching about Aunty Meghan to Granny, they’re gonna pick up on it. If Dad says snarky things about fun Uncle Harry, they will notice.

    And kids usually take on your worst traits just as much as your positive ones. If Will and Kate are bitter, jealous and manipulative, then those kids are in danger of becoming that too.

    • notasugarhere says:

      The kids are already acting out in public against their mother, and Nanny Maria steps in to save the day. Hands on? LOL. In between the multiple nannies, housekeepers, cooks, Kate’s hours of working out, shopping, and self-grooming every day. While William is in the Rose bushes next door.

    • windyriver says:

      We discussed previously how atypical it seemed for children of George and especially Charlotte’s ages to appear to have no curiosity or interest in interacting with Meghan and baby Archie at that polo game a couple of years ago. One year old Louis was the only one pictured paying any attention to them. So, I wonder what lessons these children are already absorbing.

      • Becks1 says:

        We also have that weird story about George asking to be called Archie, which tells me that the Cambridges knew the name and were talking about it and George picked up on it. It’s not a sinister thing, I’m just raising it as an easy example of what information kids pick up on.

      • bamaborn says:

        Nooo! It was not the kids. Their mother, who supposedly loves children to death, never approached Duchess Meghan to see if she could hold or assist with a squirming Archie. Even if I didn’t care for my SIL, nothing would have stopped me from asking to hold the baby. Fake like everything else.

      • windyriver says:

        @bamaborn – it was both Kate, and also the kids, except for 15 month old Louis, the only one who showed any of the curiosity and interest you’d expect from young children around a new baby who, in addition, is also their first cousin.

        I recall reports that Will and Harry had a major argument at that match, which was only a year ago. From what we’ve seen of Kate, wouldn’t be surprised if she was in a snit because of that, or something related. It’s sad though to think her attitude was possibly reflected in how the kids behaved; but then, that’s what we’ve been talking about.

    • HeyJude says:

      God only knows, William might have brought the rose bush home to sit in the garden a while when Kate was off and the kids could have seen her there.

      It’s not like that doesn’t happen in affairs.

      William and Harry sure had some idea who Camilla was from their younger ages.

  11. Ann says:

    I agree. Kate is a great mom and seems very relaxed and happy to spend time with her children. So was Diana. I’m in my 50s now, and remember that when William was 6 months old it was a BIG deal for Diana to insist he come along on her trip with Charles to Australia. She would not be away from her baby for 3 weeks or something like that, and the palace insiders were aghast that she could be so demanding and go against protocol. That family is nuts. Too bad Diana didn’t rub off on William as much as she did on Harry.

    • Suz says:

      I came across an old People Magazine article about Fergie’s tell all after her divorce. Apparently she was told by the queen to leave 6 week old Beatrice to go patch things up with Prince Pedo wherever he was. So the queen was telling her to leave her newborn and the press was calling her a bad mother for doing what the queen said. The York’s are gross but this just shows how effed up marrying into this family is.

      • Sid says:

        Makes sense. The type of person who would handle the Aberfan disaster in such a cold way is exactly the type of person who would tell a brand new mom to leave her newborn behind and go chase after her loser husband.

    • Carolind says:

      It was not Diana who insisted William went on that tour. The Australian PM especially invited him and that was what led to him going. Although William was on the tour with Charles and Diana he did not travel about with them. He stayed with his nanny at one or two central locations near where they were touring and they would travel back to see him. They also had a photoshoot with him at one point.

  12. Digital Unicorn says:

    This also confirms how intrenched Carole is within the Cambridge household and its likely her who is raising the children wile William trims Rose bushes and Kate shops, works out, picks a new wiglet and gets botox.

    Those 3 kids will grow up to be just like Kate and her siblings.

    • notasugarhere says:

      She’s always been the one keeping the peace in that household, forcing this university relationship to extend far beyond when it should have ended.

      Yet another story about how working parents are bad parents from the W&K camp. No surprise. As if Kate’s 100 hours a YEAR of work, or William’s 200 hours of work a YEAR keep them from being engaged parents.

    • Lizzie Bathory says:

      Totally agree. Having Carole so enmeshed in that family is not healthy & never has been. The whole idea that the Middletons were a “close family” suggested they were a healthy family, which I don’t think was the case. James has been open about his struggles with depression & hasn’t really been able to forge his own path. Kate & Pippa were set up to compete with each other over everything. Kate seems not to have evolved from her days at university & looks worryingly thin. And then you have the outright cruelty of the Cambridges towards the Sussexes (including George, Charlotte & Louis’s infant cousin!).

      None of the Middleton kids seem to be products of a healthy family system. You can tell Carole is still driving this bus just based on her popping up so much in the sugary tabloid stories. It doesn’t bode well for the Cambridge kids.

  13. Osty says:

    Prolonged time at home with their parents, wasn’t the reason for their lack of work because they want to be hands on parents? Kiki and PWT work less than 20hrs in a week so what are they talking about here?

    • notasugarhere says:

      They work far less than 20 hours a week.

    • Sarah says:

      Yes! That’s my point. They don’t work because they have the kids, so what have they been doing to make this a change for ‘prolonged’ time together? Or is this just about Willileaks being stuck at home for a change?

      • Amy Too says:

        I wonder if this is another instance of them accidentally tattling on themselves. I am a firm believer that Will usually lives separately from his wife and kids, and there have been a few random hints and quotes and asides in articles that back that up, and now we get this article about how the pandemic has caused a CHANGE in which the children are spending a “prolonged period of time” with both parents. Because like you said, the Cambridges never worked a lot. They’re not leaving their kids at home for weeks at a time to do world tours. They’re not working any less now during the pandemic than they did before it. They never work, they’re always home “raising their children,” so how is this any different than normal? What’s different is that everyone is forced to stay in their own home with their own families and to not travel back and forth all over the place to “visit” one’s family as William probably used to do.

        I think the little tidbit about how the Middletons are so hands on, and that’s a big reason why the kids are so well adjusted, is likely because Will normally isn’t there so Kate relies on her family, especially her mother, to fill the role of partner and parent when Will is away. Are they possibly saying “If it weren’t for the middletons stepping up and filling in, the fact that the kids’ parents live apart might be a thing that damages the children, but thank God the Middletons stepped up because now the children are still going to be ‘well adjusted.’”

      • notasugarhere says:

        Seeing as none of the Middleton kids are well-adjusted themselves? Poor line of PR on Kate and Carole’s part.

  14. Reddy says:

    It’s probably true, although that speaks less well of them than it indicates that prior generations were so much more isolated from people and had less contact with their parents. Diana tried for normal but with AL her and Charles’s issues, it seems like their home life was messed up. I’m sure W&K aren’t the paragon of happy spouses, but it seems like they’re able to keep the kids from that drama. Despite the nannies, it seems like Kate at least is a hands on parent. Hopefully they don’t ship them off to boarding school at 8 like they did wirh W&H.

    • WigletWatcher says:

      They will likely ship them off.
      It’s expected and likely already agreed upon and it’s bragging rights. Even kate went to one and reportedly thrived. Not counting that 100% debunked story she was bullied. All the facts and time frame was unsupported. It’s status to go.

      • notasugarhere says:

        I could see W&K doing a change on this, if only because it enables them to keep pretending to be hands on parents who cannot work or it would destroy their children. William, Harry, Zara, and Peter were shipped off to boarding schools at 8. Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise, and James attended posh day schools near Windsor.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        Did not Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise, and James later go to boarding school?

        I thought Eugenie graduated from Marlborough??? I think Louise attends St Mary’s School Ascot but she may not board. Please let me know if I am wrong.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Eugenie did eventually board at Malborough, which is an hour from Windsor. Louise lives at Bagshot; St Mary’s School Ascot is 20 minutes from home.

    • Nic919 says:

      Kate being the most hands on parent ever is irrelevant if she is perpetuating a system where her eldest son is valued over the other two. Playing favourites always causes issues and when that favouritism is institutionalized it always messes up the children. And to date she is not challenging the poisonous system that will cause her daughter and youngest son to be sacrificed to protect her eldest at all costs. It will mess them up and that’s not being a good parent. Diana saw how bad this system was and did what she could to prevent it. She at least did what she could to protect Harry from people like the Queen Mother, who didn’t give a shit about anyone but the heirs. Kate has done nothing of the sort and William is openly attacking his brother who is trying to create a better environment for his own family. The Cambridge kids don’t have a chance with these two as parents because they embrace a system that is set up to harm anyone but the heir.

      • Carolind says:

        Nic919 Diana might have tried to get people to treat William and Harry as equals but it is perfectly obvious to anyone with eyes that Diana herself preferred William to Harry. You only have to look at that video clip of her running onto the boat to greet her two small sons to realise this. She only looked at William. She scooped William only into her arms although she could have hugged them both together. Absolutely appalling. Harry was always the one out of the two boys closer to his father and Diana said this.

  15. RoyalBlue says:

    such a bizarre story. these children will have people catering to their every single need. people calling them master and miss, a full buffet of breakfast is laid out every morning, chauffeurs, security, no care for how you can afford clothes or hair stylists. daily training on royal etiquette, governesses and tutors. treated special in school, probably automatic class prefects and head boy.

    they are obviously going to grow up with a superiority complex just like the rest of them!

    • Carolind says:

      Royal blue

      I don’t like the Cambridges but you are in the realms of fantasy here. The staff will call them by only their names if William and Kate have any sense or by the usual royal protocol if they don’t I.e. Your Royal Highness or Sir/Ma’am. As for “breakfast buffet”? They are kids, no way!

  16. Dali says:

    i see stories like this as a sugary story for the elderly royalists. A fluff PR peace for the institution. With all the drama, they need calming non stories to calm their audience. Like at least, the heirs family is perfect blablabla…

  17. Sofia says:

    I mean, they’re still kids. Kids that the public see a few times in a year. We don’t know what these kids are like personally nor do we have any idea of how well-adjusted they are – but they seem like lovely kids. I would have said “I hope they put the heir and spare narrative to rest” for their kids but considering how the Cambridges fully leaned into it, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start getting articles about how “kingly” George is and what troublemakers Charlotte and Louis are (and I feel they’ve already started)

    • Mumbles says:

      Louis is two years old. I haven’t heard any stories about what a troublemaker he is, nor do I think seven-year old Prince George is plotting to throw his younger siblings under the bus. I suspect that William will protect his own, and that includes his children.

      • Sofia says:

        Did anyone expect Harry to leave the BRF 20/30 years ago? No I don’t think so. Situations change.

        And William’s priority will be the Crown and the continuation of it. May not be his priority now but it will be. If that means putting Charlotte and Louis down so George can be put up, he’ll do it. And if the Cambridges don’t do it then the press will absolutely do it, and people will buy into it – no matter how much they say they won’t.

      • Nic919 says:

        Charles is protecting William over Harry and William will do the same to his own children. When Diana died no one would have expected Charles to throw Harry under the bus and let William do the same and yet that is what happened and it will continue to happen because both of them embrace this foolish system, as they have both benefitted enormously from it.

      • February-Pisces says:

        I think Willie will protect his kids whilst they are children, but I do wonder how he’ll react in 10 years from now when George will be hitting 18 and he’ll be young and handsome and basically the teen heartthrob that Willie once was. Also Kate will be jealous of George’s and Louis’s young pretty girlfriends. I’m sure she will do her best to smear the crap out of them.

      • Lady D says:

        Do you honestly believe that William will not throw his children under a bus to protect his image? You are kidding right? He will do it in a heartbeat, and the selfish prick will find a way to justify it to himself. He comes first. William is all about William and only William.

      • notasugarhere says:

        W&K have used their kids for their own PR since before the kids were born. Used them as excuses not to work before-and-after their births, using them now as an excuse not to work. Of course both W&K will continue to use their kids for PR in the future, it is what they’ve been doing all along.

    • HeatherC says:

      We’ve already been told that George is “thoughtful” in his shyness and Charlotte is “sassy.”

      • February-Pisces says:

        That was the same as Willie and harry growing up. William was always the sensible one and harry the cheeky one. I remember a video of harry when he was like 4 years old and he was sticking his tongue out at the paps when he was sat in a car with Diana. It was cute, but it turns out he was only doing that because the paps were the ones sticking their tongue out at him, so he was just copying them. I think Diana got mad about that, that they were manipulating her little boy.

      • lanne says:

        For Charlotte to be beloved, she’d better grow up to be pretty, thin, and horse-loving. If she deviates one iota from that formula, social media and the BM will make that girl’s life hell. What we have learned from the RF is their love is completely conditional on a family member behaving and doing EXACTLY what is expected of them and not one iota more or less. The tragedy of Harry’s story in my mind is how thoroughly and utterly his family has rejected him for making his own choices that they didn’t agree with. That’s why the idea of these kids growing up in a “healthy manner” is such a farce. They will grow up to be products of this dysfunctional system, with the entire world gleefully looking on, eager to publicize their mishaps and mistakes. I wouldn’t wish their lives on anyone. No wealth is worth that.

      • notasugarhere says:

        We’ve also been told that George was a terror and Charlotte was ‘a little lady’ when she was a few weeks old. W&K will say whatever they want about the kids, whatever gets them the best PR or appears ‘normal’ and ‘relatable’.

    • Maevo says:

      I’m hoping that since there’s 2 spares they’ll be able to avoid the binary pigeon-holing. Time will tell!

  18. Suz says:

    Honestly, I think this headline is accurate given the dysfunction of that whole family. This is not really a compliment to the Cambridges.
    Note: Did Diana keep William out of her dramas? Isn’t there a famous story about Diana locking herself in the bathroom and William stuffing tissues under the door to his crying mother? Both parents used those boys for photo ops for their own means too. That being said, I mean, I do believe both C & D wanted a better upbringing for their kids than they had. Charles with his cold parents and Diana with her drunk and fighting parents. But…ehhhh.

    • KK2 says:

      Agree with everything you said. It’s a low bar to be the most well adjusted royals, and I don’t think Charles and Diana went through any great lengths to give their kids a “normal childhood” by, you know, normal standards. Only by royal standards. Which, again, low bar.

    • Tessa says:

      I get the impression that william and Kate are using those children for their own PR. They preached about them getting privacy but every other day those children would appear in the media. And they were even used in the flybe stunt to put down Harry.

  19. Harper says:

    Where are Kate and Wills? Haven’t seen them for a few weeks now. And these kids will hardly remember those few months when Daddy was home sitting in front of the telly all day yelling for more snacks.

    • WigletWatcher says:

      They went from 1 vacation to another. Balmoral. Not sure when that ended if if it’s still on.

    • mytwocents says:

      I was just wondering the same thing, didn’t school start in the UK already? didn’t all the kids have to go back? why are they not back in London in school? Considering how ‘they are just like us’ and ‘so well adjusted’ , shouldn’t they also be in school?

    • HeyJude says:

      There’s rumors they quietly sneaked off to a beach vacation overseas and back, besides being at Balmoral.

    • ravynrobyn says:

      @ HARPER ” yelling for more snacks” -spit my drink out, then died ☠

  20. Angel says:

    It’s has to be the most toxic and dysfunctional family of the universe. After the Markles. Poor Meghan went from a toxic family to another.

  21. Amy Bee says:

    Will George, Charlotte and Louis be working royals in the future? I have my doubts. I don’t think William will ever get to be King. As for the “middle class values” of the Middletons, this is a myth as Michael and Carole did everything in their power to ensure that their children became aristocrats.

    • Merricat says:

      Ha, yes. Kate has spent her entire life trying to escape the middle class. which makes her hopelessly middle class, poor thing.

  22. Rea says:

    I would have thought that Princess Anne’s children are actually the most well adjusted.

    • Sunshine says:

      Agreed REA. But I don’t think they are considered “royals.”

    • Suz says:

      Meh, her son cheated on his wife and she threatened to move back to Canada. There’s just no faithfulness in this family. Zara and her rugby hubby seem sweet together, though.

      • Sofia says:

        Did Peter really cheat on Autumn? I’ve never heard this but then again I don’t keep up with them so *shrug*. Also never heard of her threatening to move back to Canada. I know the DM “suggested” it because she’s Canadian but again, never really heard of it,

        And Mike’s cheated on Zara. They seem happy though but he has cheated apparently.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        And Princess Anne has/had an “understanding” or open relationship with both her ex-husband and husband..

      • Rea says:

        Baytampabay. do you have more information os this understanding? I have heard thos about the ex husband but not the currant.

    • HeyJude says:

      Are they well-adjusted? They have a half-sibling Felicity through Mark that they’ve never/refuse to meet.

      Which I get at the start would be an emotional issue as the product of an affair, but still who doesn’t meet their sibling at least just to meet? After they’ve had years to heal over her existence? IDK maybe it’s terribly lower class of me but I’d like to know all the people I share parents with.

  23. Kalana says:

    Are the kids returning to school? And what’s the tea about Kate making people wait outside while she shopped?

    • Nic919 says:

      Someone posted on twitter that her RPO made the Dersingham co-op clear out so that she could shop there on her own. They should have said no. But Katie pulls her privilege when she wants to, unlike an actual SAHM who can’t clear a store.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Seriously? She made the RPO clear a store so she could shop? She’s sent the RPOs out to do her grocery shopping before, but clearing out a store?

      • Nic919 says:

        It’s a comment made on twitter but pretty specific about the location where she made all the customers wait outside. And the Dersingham coop is quite close to Amner.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        Wonder if “Rose Who?” was there???

      • Becks1 says:

        The comment also included the tidbit that its well-known they are holed up at Anmer with no plans to return to London so the kids can start school (no clue what the current guidance/rules are in the UK for school.) Here, a lot of the private schools are actually returning in person because they tend to be smaller and have more control.

      • February-Pisces says:

        In the UK kids are starting school this week. If their kids don’t then I wonder how they will play it? No doubt nothing will be said if they keep their kids home whilst the rest of the country goes back to school. It doesn’t send a good message, but then again Willie and Kate can do whatever they want without having to worry about backlash.

      • notasugarhere says:

        They kept Charlotte out of school months ago, after government regulations said children of her age should return to school. If they aren’t going to return the kids to school now, they are publicly going against government guidelines again.

  24. Becks1 says:

    “prolonged time with their parents?” I mean……isn’t that how it usually is? They go on one or two tours a year, and the rest of the time they are home with the kids. Kate barely works 30 days a year. Even when William did pick up his work last year and the year before, a lot of the work was in London where the kids were. Its why his comment about not seeing the kids a lot was so weird (and revealing.)

    I do think Kate is a really good mom but I don’t think she’s anywhere near as hands on as she’s portrayed. I mean heck we know that at least nanny maria was with them during the pandemic, and I would be surprised if another nanny wasn’t there as well.

    As for well-adjusted – I mean, maybe for royals? but like someone said above, as long as you think you are entitled to palaces, jewels, and deference just because of your birth -you cant be that well adjusted.

  25. The Other Sarah says:

    Can we please stop referring to Kate as “upper middle class” or of that mindset? She is work-shy, entitled, and dependent on inherited wealth to support her standard of living. Textbook upper class. She does not want to raise her kids in an “upper middle class” style, in which one or both parents work an actual full-time job to support the family and bills are still a concern (even if the debates are more like “should we lease a Mercedes or a BMW” or “should we stay at the Ritz or the Four Seasons” lol).

    • Becks1 says:

      I’m also stuck on the description of the Middletons’ “middle class values” – values like marrying “well” being the most important goal?

  26. kelleybelle says:

    Victoria Arbiter isn’t much better than any of the other RRs. She knows next to nothing and this is all speculation anyway. They’re just trying to fluff Bill n’ Karen because the Sussexes are hitting it out of the park. And again, the only talent Kate has is her kids and they’re still being used for these fluff pieces. So lame.

  27. This story is to clean up the Tatler cover feature that included mentioning how William and Kate needed Harry and Meghan to be in the UK to help raise their kids.

    As an American journalist noted: “Do not try to make sense of this sequitur. Just accept it. If your brother announces a charity in LA, *obviously* that means you can’t drive your kids to school in England”
    https://twitter.com/felixsalmon/status/1266493452667191296?s=20

    They know they looked insipid in the Tatler feature and the Daily Mail is working overtime to help them bandage self inflicted wound.

  28. Elizabeth K. Mahon says:

    I think Victoria Arbiter is forgetting that Prince Edward and Sophie also spend a great deal of time with their children, coordinating the school runs etc. with their various engagements. I know that Edward is way down on the line of succession, but Kate and William didn’t invent the wheel when it comes to raising children. I think that Edward & Sophie learned a great deal from the way that he was raised, also the way that Diana and Prince Charles parented their children.

  29. February-Pisces says:

    I don’t think kate is the perfect mother everyone makes her out to be. I don’t think she’s terrible or anything like that, I think she’s just like any upper class mother who basically hands the kids to the nanny for them to do the heavy lifting. I doubt she’s even changed that many nappies. Of course you can still be a good mother and have help, but with Kate I think she gets to live the best side of motherhood, all the fun bits and the playing. She doesn’t have to deal with the daily grind of cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing like most mothers, which can wear them down and make them exhausted and depressed.

    Kate can be at home with the kids, and the kids could literally be a mile away with the nanny on the other side of her country estate, so she can still be ‘at home’ with them and get plenty of time and space to herself at the same time. I just think she like being at home more than anything.

    • CC says:

      I don’t think she’s perfect but I do think she has decent relationship with her kids. Her wealth allows her to avoid the chores, definitely. I don’t think she should be compared with the average mom. But that aside, idk. I see warmth in the family so far, and the children seem to show a secure relationship with her. She doesn’t have much of a work ethic but i do think she’s her best self with the kids. Even her engagements with other kids are cute. That’s probably one strength I’ll give her, lol.

    • notasugarhere says:

      This, February-Pisces. She’s there for the fun times, around her shopping, workouts, and hair sessions. Ditto William between hunting trips, lads weekends, and Rose tending. The messes, tantrums, night shifts, and work of parenting? That’s left to the multiple nannies, while the work of the household is done by the housekeeper, cook, cleaners.

  30. CC says:

    The royal fan base is anything but well adjusted. Some of them have fan accounts for CHARLOTTE. Sweet little Charlotte. Child Charlotte.

    When the press and their fan base is that unhinged, of course they’ll think the Cambridges will be well adjusted. They literally thought Harry was perfectly fine and cheery before Meghan came along…when we know for a fact he needed therapy so badly that William had to tell him to go do that. That this man who was dealing with mental health issues that worsened given the fact he literally had to guard his life with a rifle against people who were plotting to torture him on camera.

    Now. That aside…I do believe Kate is a good mother to her kids directly. I do believe William loves his children a lot. I do believe that when the time comes, they’re going to soften up in a way they couldn’t do for Harry and Meghan. But it doesn’t mean that their kids will turn out fine. I hope they do, though.

    I think the kids will definitely be the most well adjusted. But that’s not a huge compliment to the parents because we are comparing them to other royals. All messed up. Lol.

    And even if Kate and William are good parents through and through, there’s only so much they could do until reality kicks in for the children. They’re in an unusual situation where they’re born in the spotlight with insane amounts of privilege. They’re going to be exploited, harassed, worshipped…it’s going to take a toll on them. For sure.

    People think good parenting is enough to protect a child. No sir. It’s the larger system around them that has a bigger effect. If Kate and William won’t wreck the kids, the men in the grey suits will.

    And to end all of this, the best thing William and Kate could have done was to lend support to the Sussexes stepping down. They set precedent for the kids!! And they couldn’t be supportive of that. Granted, I bet they’ll be hypocrites the moment Charlotte wants to step down, but it would be easier for them if their parents were supportive and used their contacts to make sure the press won’t act like Sussexit wasn’t the worst thing to have happened

    • BayTampaBay says:

      Sussexit was the worst thing that could ever happened to the courtiers, Royal Rota and British Tabloid Media.

    • Tessa says:

      I think the ones who will be most well adjusted are the cousins: the Tindalls and the Phillips (despite the divorce of their parents). All get to lead a private life and are not thrust into the media spotlight (they are used when the Cambridges need good press). I think I see some bad signs that George is treated more “special” and is subjected early to hunting trips watching his father kill birds for sports and posing for Dynasty pictures. William to me seems to be a control freak. He is not the patriarch of the royal family yet he “advised” Harry to “go slow” with Meghan. I can only imagine what he will do with the children. Suppose Charlotte falls for an American, will William go ballistic and keep her from seeing him. I think there is trouble ahead with William’s bad habits of trying to advise his children on selecting partners.

  31. JP says:

    That’s a pretty low bar!

  32. Gah says:

    Ask any adult child of narcissists how having clinically (or even sub clinically) self-involved parents impacts them in their life.

    Abuse takes many forms and malignant narcissists create webs of dysfunction that create long term trauma.

    I think it’s clear from the press shenanigans and Harry’s departure that Will most definitely tends towards narcissism.

    Kate is a classic codependent (with Wills and her mum) who pretends to be the victim but whose machinations reveal a baseline cruelty and lack of empathy.

    Tbh I don’t think these kids have a chance in hell of emerging unscathed and they will need to find excellent professionals to help them if they do develop empathy and/self awareness as they grow up. That is the harder path than emulating their parents. Poor poor things. It’s not their fault.

    And everyone applauding Kate’s mothering? I just don’t get it- she has actively participated in creating and maintaining these webs of dysfunction- with her husband, her mother, her siblings, her in laws. There’s no way it’s possible to have a bubble around her children to protect them from her baser instincts. You can’t be a shitty person to everyone except your kids. If anything your shitty-ness gets magnified by your children!?

    This drama is gonna make for some watchable prestige TV series in the future but god held these children. They will be soooooo far from well adjusted and it’s terribly sad.

    • notasugarhere says:

      I wish I could upvote this.

    • Nic919 says:

      This is an excellent comment. Enabling a dysfunctional system will harm the children and Kate has done nothing to protect her kids from it. Harry was creating a way out but she and William chose to attack him for it. Maybe Charlotte and Louis can touch base with their uncle Harry at some point later on because he’s the only one who understands what they will be going through.

      • windyriver says:

        Was just thinking the same thing, about them eventually getting in touch with Harry…

        I hope these children all grow up with something, anything they’re sincerely interested in, that can give their future lives direction and purpose – and that people around them don’t entirely snuff out whatever those interests might be. Their parents are useless, granny Carole is a dangerous influence. But grandfather Charles and uncle Harry both got involved with significant causes early on, so maybe the genes are there. Both men could be good role models, though the likelihood of the children spending much time with either one during their most formative years is probably slim to none.

    • February-Pisces says:

      Yes, thank you. It’s silly to think her kids won’t absorb her and williams behaviour. They are both two very dysfunctional people with fragile egos who have both gone out of the way to actively destroy other people’s lives, their own family members without any provocation. And people expect that the children won’t turn out the same?

      Kate’s mother embedded competition in her, and taught her to basically defeat anyone (mostly female) she deems threatening. What do you think kate is gonna tell Charlotte when she’s older? If Charlotte is feeling insecure and jealous about another girl, is Kate gonna tell to rise above it and think positively, or go out and destroy them?

      Kate doesn’t have any female friends, at least non who are attractive, and leads a miserable life because she is consumed by her own insecurities. Remember when everyone has so much hope that William would be different to his parents and wouldn’t make the same mistakes? Who would have thought that he would turn out even worse.

    • Bohemian Angel says:

      @Gah Exactly this! 👏👏👏 Kate is also teaching her children that racism, classism and sexism are ok. Both her and William are showing them how to be petty and jealous. This is not what makes a good mother.

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Sobering comment but right on the money IMO. Realistically speaking, between the Windsors and the Middletons as main influences, the Cambridge kids have little to zero chances of growing up to be well-adjusted. There is too much dysfunction on both sides; add the numerous privileges and prejudices into the mix, and well…

  33. Lizzie says:

    Doesn’t all of her grand statements apply, in general, to all children? There has been an unexpected amount of time at home with parents for most children. In fact most parents usually spend much more time working than W&K. Don’t all children have a lifetime of work ahead of them after schooling ends? This is just a lot of fluff.

  34. Jay says:

    That’s a pretty low bar but okay.

  35. aquarius64 says:

    This is a poor attempt at KP to counter the Sussex news. Harry and Meghan will be producing documentaries and getting paid by Netflix; William and Kate can only produce heirs and the British taxpayer pays.

  36. Le4Frimaire says:

    Well-adjusted is the last thing I think of with these two, but that’s the goal of most parents. Whether that’s their intention to do right by their kids, it’s not in the interests of the courtiers or the rota.They want their human sacrifices. We’ll see. Also, some of the phrasing like “ a lifetime of Royal duties”. Those kids will be stuck in the firm living off taxpayers and constant scrutiny for life”. There will be no slimming down with those three. The overreaction to H&M was because of ghosts of Edward and Diana, and how those kids live their lives will be in the shadow of H& M and tightly controlled. They’re probably arranging the marriages right now, poor kids.

  37. Florence says:

    Unfortunately those children are being raised as “special” no matter how much Willy and Cathy Cambridge cosplay otherwise, and it will mess them up. Getting every whim catered to, never having to truly strive or try? It’s not healthy.

    Plus…

    Charlotte has awful female role models from Waity’s side and will probably grow up to be competitive with other women and to think being thin is the best thing to be. Louis will probably get mistreated if George thinks he can follow in Willy’s footsteps. Then again George seems to be a shy kid and may not love the spotlight/duty.

    Willy is a Spoiled manchild and Kate is clearly not well-adjusted (see: insane cosplaying).

    We know that the mother and grandmother think that Charlotte sticking her tongue out is funny, I think most children would have been told off, or at least their caregivers would not encourage rudeness by laughing at it.

    And the wider family? Protecting paedos and believing they’re better because they’re “chosen by God”? It’s honestly like a sanctioned cult.

    • Tessa says:

      Carole looked irritated at Charlotte, while Kate giggled inanely. And the excuse that she was sticking her tongue out at her granddad Michael seems ridiculous because it is disrespectful to act that way towards a grandparent.

  38. Lizzie says:

    No one has seen the Dolittles for weeks, nor cared about it, so this non-story is rolled out.

  39. What eating you says:

    It hilarious to see people calling Kate a good mother. Any mother who sits back and watches a mother to be get tore to shreds day in and day out is a crappy parent.

    • February-Pisces says:

      Kate the worlds greatest mother and child expert also paid for bots on Instagram to leave racist abuse about her biracial baby nephew.

  40. Clueless9x9 says:

    1) The Queen and Prince Charles should put a stop to Edward’s children being given HRH titles when they turn 18 and told that they need to figure out a career when they graduate from high school. 2) Andrew and Edward’s property leases should be reviewed and an increase in rent if merited. I don’t see why these two men need such large properties when they’re so far back in the order of succession now that William has children and Kate probably wants one more. 4) The Queen and Prince Charles should also take a hard look at all of the family members and rewrite the rules once George, Charlotte and Louis marry and have children, because there are way too many HRH’s and they need to shut that down!

    • Carolind says:

      Edward’s children are not going to be given royal titles when they are 18. They have their titles now although James will become Earl of Wessex on death of his father.

  41. Gracie says:

    I feel bad for the kids with this narrative – suggesting that they will never experience mental health challenges like almost everyone does, despite background/upbringing. It also feels very defeating as a mother who has to work full time to read this and think that my kids are somehow worse off because I cannot play around all day with them in a nice house with no worries. Also, plenty of mental health professionals have children who experience challenges – specializing in or having an interest in early childhood does not better prepare one set of parents over another.

  42. yinyang says:

    Who cares, these people are tiring and always will be. If they were private citizens they would be cancelled by now.

  43. Tessa says:

    No child is perfect and there are no perfect parents. The pushing as these children as perfect seems very desperate PR spin.

  44. Tessa says:

    THe perfect mother who adores children just stood there and did not interact with her nephew Archie on the polo field.

  45. Tessa says:

    I don’t think the average working mothers are pleased with Kate playing Perfect mother. The working mothers whether single parents or being in a two career household to support the family would not consider themselves “bad” parents and find it patronizing of Kate and her PR to make it look like working parents are “not as good’ as full time moms like Kate (though she puts in very few hours to work).

    • Becks1 says:

      This has been something that has bothered me about the “hands on mother” narrative from the beginning, along with the old-fashioned image Kate purposely projects. It definitely sends a message that *all that* is good, and moms who do work outside the home are not as hands on. Factor in the staff, including multiple nannies, that the Cambridges have, and its more insulting because she’s not the most hands on mom ever in the world.

  46. Mariane says:

    Wait didnt William say he barely sees the kids awhile ago? I bet this is the longest they stayed together in one place.
    These people have live in nannies/servant: housekeeping, chef, stylist and hair dressees..etc , this PR stunt to make them some miracle parents which only aggravate those struggling to cope with bills and caring for their children

  47. anon says:

    LOLOLOLOL. Listen, people. As a diehard, in-the-trenches parenting veteran, let me just burst the bubble created by the fawning Ms. Arbiter (who apparently doesn’t have kids?)

    NOBODY knows exactly what’s gonna go down when those kids become 1.) teenagers and 2.) adults with their own minds.

    As we’ve all seen, all the royal issue have issues. And I would venture a guess that these three precious punkins will have issues precisely because they’ve been held hostage to Will and Kate and their marital issues for the last six months. Not even royal parents can escape whatever outcomes their kids may be in for.

    So, it’s a little too early to start handing out Parent-of-the-Century awards, no?