The Princess Diana Method: royal expert told how Kate Middleton and Prince William raise children

The Princess Diana Method: royal expert told how Kate Middleton and Prince William raise children

The children of 39-year-old Kate Middleton and Prince William are much more likely to be seen friendly and smiling than capricious, and this is the merit of their parents. For members of the royal family, qualities such as restraint and appreciation are extremely important, so they bring them up in their heirs from birth.

According to royal expert Andrew Morton, raising eight-year-old Prince George, six-year-old Princess Charlotte and three-year-old Prince Louis, the Dukes of Cambridge are guided by the "Princess Diana method". She inspired her own children, William and Harry, to write thank-you notes to those who helped them.

Diana often took her sons to charity events and on trips, as she wanted them to live an ordinary life, without the restrictions that royal protocol implies.

One of the reasons was that she didn't want the boys to grow up thinking that the whole world was "range Rovers", guns and babysitters,

- told her biographer Andrew Morton.

Kate and William also want a normal life for their children (as far as possible, given their royal status).

Kate and William have developed this wonderful ability to let many things seem spontaneous, and that's how their children see it. Rules of behavior at the table, thank-you letters, nice pleasantries — all this is explained to them so that they do it automatically,

he added.

Ken Wharf, a former security officer of the royal family, said that he remembered very much the case thanks to which Princess Diana taught her sons to write thank-you letters. One day she was traveling with Harry and William on a bus in London, and he accompanied them. Using public transport was the desire of Prince Harry, who wanted to spend the day as a simple person.

The bus driver was a Sikh (a representative of the people who live in India. - Ed.). After announcing the name of each stop, he pronounced the sounds "parp, parp, ring, ring". When it was time for the royals to leave, Harry turned to the driver and mimicked him, repeating the same sounds. The younger son's act made Princess Diana very angry, and she forced Harry to apologize to the driver, who, however, was not offended by the young prince and found the incident funny.

Wharf added that the next day he found a letter from Harry on his desk, in which he thanked him for spending the day like an ordinary person. However, Harry grew up such a prankster that he signed a note "parp, parp, ring, ring".

More in the section Celebrity

Celebrity

Meghan Markle's first U.K. appearance: afternoon tea with Malala Yousafzai

Meghan Markle reunited with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai over afternoon tea at Claridge's in London, her first public appearance since returning to the U.K.

Celebrity

Kim Kardashian wears Elizabeth Taylor's 1969 'Scorpio' cape in All's Fair Season 2

Kim Kardashian wears the black velvet 'Scorpio Evening Cape' Elizabeth Taylor wore to Grace Kelly's 1969 birthday party for her All's Fair character.

Celebrity

Billie Eilish goes strawberry blond — her lightest hair in six years

Billie Eilish returned to Instagram with a shoulder-length strawberry blond, her lightest hair color in six years.

Celebrity

Kim Kardashian's pumpkin misspelled Kylie and Timothée as 'Kyle and Timothy'

Kim Kardashian shared a carved celebrity pumpkin that spells Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet as 'Kyle' and 'Timothy.'

Celebrity

Anne Hathaway is 'Team Letter' in Verity — and she doesn't trust Lowen or Jeremy

Anne Hathaway lands firmly on Team Letter in the Verity ending debate — and she says she doesn't trust Lowen Ashleigh or Jeremy Crawford.

Celebrity

Kim Kardashian: 'I was really single for five years' before Lewis Hamilton

Kim Kardashian says she stayed single for five years after her split from Kanye West, and only recently felt ready to open up to Lewis Hamilton.

Celebrity

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle hold hands on Cotswolds pub date

The couple dined at a 16th-century inn in the Cotswolds — Markle ordering gluten-free fish and chips, Harry a chicken, ham and leek pie — in their first public outing together since moving back to the UK in August.

Celebrity

Taylor Swift hits three UK No. 1s in 2026 — and celebrates in Burberry

Taylor Swift is the first artist ever to land three UK No. 1 singles in 2026, and she marked the milestone in a British Burberry knit on Instagram.

Celebrity

Talia Ryder joins Tom Holland's Fred Astaire biopic as June Allyson

Talia Ryder, a classically trained dancer, will play June Allyson in Sony's Fred Astaire biopic alongside Tom Holland, Margaret Qualley and Sabrina Carpenter.

Celebrity

Sydney Sweeney goes full 'Baywatch' in a red one-piece on a Lake Powell trip

Sydney Sweeney posted Instagram photos from a Lake Powell trip with boyfriend Scooter Braun, wearing a red one-piece that channels Pamela Anderson's 'Baywatch'.

Sport

Karl-Anthony Towns eyes a $276M Knicks extension as the team pauses talks

Food

Dua Lipa ate her first American hot dog at a Yankees game, MLB superfan says

Entertainment

Cardi B, Troye Sivan and Eminem lead Billboard’s new music poll

Celebrity

Meghan Markle's first U.K. appearance: afternoon tea with Malala Yousafzai

Lifestyle

Kate Middleton's tartan skirt in Belfast nods to a 400-year-old Ulster history

Travel

Moebius Milano is now the best cocktail bar in Europe — try the pesto martini

Sport

LeBron James debuts for the 76ers in Brooklyn at 41 — on a league-minimum deal

Food

Taco Bell's Birthday Cake Empanada arrives Oct 15 — fans are split

Entertainment

Anne Hathaway gives Tom Cruise's flop 'Digger' a 10/10 on Letterboxd

Celebrity

Kim Kardashian wears Elizabeth Taylor's 1969 'Scorpio' cape in All's Fair Season 2

Lifestyle

Zendaya pairs Maison Margiela tabi wedges with a 1999 Prada duster in Paris

Travel

Burbank's new $1.3B terminal opens Oct 13 — four minutes from TSA to any gate

Sport

Shohei Ohtani tied NLDS Game 4 without swinging — a Braves drop did the rest

Food

Godzilla's 20-inch, $90 popcorn bucket is on sale in nearly 3,000 theaters

Entertainment

Aerosmith returns for two Hollywood Bowl shows with Billy Idol, Slash and Run-D.M.C.

Celebrity

Billie Eilish goes strawberry blond — her lightest hair in six years

Lifestyle

Florence Pugh debuts punky baby bangs at the Jaguar Type 01 premiere

Travel

Medellín Named a 2026 Best Place to Go — How to Eat, Stay and Play

Sport

Ronaldo's eight-point statement he says Jorge Jesus ignored before his Portugal exit

Food

Costco's new $12.99 lemon cream caramelized croissants are a blueberry spinoff