Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly ‘prioritise’ spending time with their kids when they're off of school as William remembers spending time alone without his workaholic father, but their breaks are ‘raising eyebrows’ within The Firm.
- Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are spending their Summer holidays with mum and dad as Prince William and Kate Middleton take time away from royal duties to focus on family life.
- However, their long break has reportedly caused tensions within the Royal Family as other members believe the couple are not attending enough royal engagements.
- In other royal news, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis preparing for bittersweet end to the summer with the breaking of this royal tradition.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have a vastly different parenting style to royals that came before them. While royal experts have defended King Charles III's approach to parenting, Prince William is reportedly trying not to repeat his father’s mistakes when it comes to parenting while Prince Harry has spoken out on multiple aspects of royal parenting, namely the ‘cycle of pain and suffering’ he says his father 'passed on' to him.
But times are changing when it comes to royal parenting. There may still be some outdated rules, such as the kids not being allowed to eat with their parents even on Christmas day, but King Charles 'fully supports' the 'informal and fun' way Kate and William are raising their children and the kids are more of a priority for younger royals as shown by Kate Middleton's savvy ‘life plan’ that helps balance family life with royal duties and Prince William's ‘even-handed parenting’ style.
But while Kate and William are praised for their parenting by the public, there is one aspect of their approach that has reportedly 'raised eyebrows' within the Royal Family and the tensions could come to a head during the family's Balmoral visit.
According to a royal expert, The Firm are unhappy about William and Kate taking a two month break over the school summer holidays to spend time with their children.
Speaking to OK! Magazine last month ahead of William and Kate's long holiday, a source revealed, "William and Kate have made it very clear that their children are their priority this summer holiday. They have blocked off much of the summer so that they can spend time with the children in the UK.”
The news was met with heartwarming messages from royal fans who encouraged the family to take some time away from the spotlight and enjoy themselves after a tough year of engagements. However, according to one royal expert, the family's break has created some tension within the Royal Family.
Royal correspondent Richard Palmer told The Daily Express, “They’re [Prince William and Kate Middleton] very popular, they’re a huge asset to the UK, but there have been eyebrows raised in other parts of the royal household about the amount of time they’re not doing official engagements."
Last year, Kate Middleton attended 90 royal engagements while Prince William took on 126, compared to Princess Anne's whopping 214 and the King’s impressive 181, leaving the expert to believe that the couple need to 'up their number.'
He added, “It may well be that they come under a little bit of pressure to up their number of engagements…
“There aren’t many families where both the father and mother are able to have 12 or 13 weeks with their children on all of their school breaks. I think there’s an awful lot of goodwill towards them but they do need to keep an eye on that.”
But no matter what feedback William and Kate receive over their long breaks, it's unlikely they will ever work during the kids' time away from school as William remembers how upsetting it is not to be a parent's priority, the expert shared.
“The Princess of Wales has made it clear that her children will remain her priority for the foreseeable future and when you hear William and Harry talking about his childhood and how their father was always at his desk or away somewhere, you can perhaps understand why that is a priority,” he explained.
