Kate and William are reported to be giving their three children a childhood that is "as normal as possible" - but the author of a book that looks at the history of parenthood within the royal family says that simply isn't possible. The Express reports that Tom Quinn, author of Gilded Youth: A History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, says that daily life for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should not be compared to other children their age.
Mr Quinn says that while the Prince and Princess of Wales are clearly trying to be more involved with their children than previous generations of royal parents, what Kate and William may mean by normal is "not what the rest of us mean by normal". He told the Express: "For example, the fact that they've moved to Windsor so that their children can have more space, they can only have that because they have the private grounds of Windsor Castle, hundreds of acres.
"And it's almost certain, I would have thought, that George and Louis will go to Eton, which is only a 10, 15-minute drive from Windsor. Normal for most people doesn't mean the most expensive, the most exclusive school."
The author added: "I think what William and Kate are really trying to indicate is that they will be involved much more with their children, especially their boys. So they will always have the example of Charles, who's been very public about being sent to Scotland to this dreadful school to make a man of him.
"That's all gone, there's no way that William and Kate will do something like that with their children. And even if they did board [at Eton College], they could still see their children every weekend, which wasn't the case for poor Charles up at Gordonstoun."
Kate and William are known to adapt as much as possible their working schedule to their children's hours. In 2019, Kate and William reportedly left the UK to begin their tour of Pakistan only after carrying out the school run in the morning.
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Mr Quinn also noted that, while the Prince and Princess of Wales do have a hands-on approach with their children, they still rely on paid staff for childcare like previous generations of aristocrats and royals. The Wales family have been helped by Norland College graduate Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo since 2013, when Prince George was born.
Mr Quinn said: "They're still employing paid staff, nannies and people to look after the children, but they will not be seeing them for half an hour a day as it used to be."
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