Prince George’s birthday is on Wednesday, which is why Kensington Palace authorized so many fluff pieces about the future-future king. The Sun’s weekend story about George was heavy on the keenery, with sources making George sound like the most athletic-yet-awkward kid. Well, the Telegraph also has royal sources, and they have even more to say about George as he turns 13 years old. What’s a little bit funny is that George’s birthday pieces have inevitably become glowing reviews of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ parenting style and foresight. This Telegraph piece also takes swipes at QEII and King Charles as parents. Oof. Some highlights:
A down-to-earth future king: He is “incredibly down to earth”, say friends of the family, while inevitably being “aware of his future”. He is a sporting all-rounder, a surprisingly good artist, and is still getting used to the meet-and-greet walkabouts that will be part of his working life stretching ahead. Most of his weekends are spent at sports fixtures and with friends, occasionally interrupted for a carriage ride or Buckingham Palace balcony appearance in the line of royal duty.
A brave new world for George: He will be the first heir to navigate his teenage years in an era of social media and cameraphones, the first whose privacy is at risk of being infringed upon not just by the press but by the public. He is the first growing up with WhatsApp groups rather than handwritten letters (although his parents have a strict policy on mobile phones), and the first with the unwelcome ability to read appalling conspiracy theories about his own family the moment he logs on to social media. Where Prince William’s face once adorned posters on dormitory walls across Britain’s girls’ schools, Prince George’s will be seen through the glow of a smartphone screen, with all the perils of the AI era.
Relentless preparations: “No one knows better than William what life is like growing up in the Royal family,” the source says. “He is absolutely determined to get it right.” Close aides and friends stop short of criticising previous generations. But the unspoken part is this: few royal parents have got it right so far, and the Prince and Princess of Wales have had to start from scratch to figure it out for the next. “The biggest thing is that it has to be family first,” says a friend. “They will serve the institution, but they will also make sure their children are raised with as much normality as possible.”
A palace raising a prince: Raising the “future future King” is part of their role, woven through conversations and Kensington Palace strategy meetings since the Princess of Wales announced she was pregnant. Learning from the mistakes of the past, says another source, has been “absolutely central”.
The history of royal parenting: “Previous generations of the Royal family weren’t renowned for their parenting skills,” says Valentine Low, the author of Power and the Palace. “The one sovereign who escaped such parental failures was Elizabeth II, who was brought up in a close-knit family of four: the difference, of course, was that until she was 10 no one knew she would be queen. When it came to her turn, she did her best to be a loving parent to Charles, but duty always came first. She was often absent – once for nearly six months – while Philip was a tough and demanding father. Charles, a sensitive boy, felt lonely and misunderstood.”
Ooh, King Charles won’t like this: Princes William and Harry’s childhoods were scarred by trauma, first of their parents’ divorce, then their mother’s death and their father’s struggle to balance duty and the needs of his sons in a very different era. William and Catherine, in other words, have had to write their own parenting rulebook.
Strategic parenting from William & Kate: “The way they have lived their lives – getting the kids outside, spending time together, focusing on the school run – it’s just as strategic as any other part of their public service,” says a source. “Preparing their children for the lives they are going to lead, it’s central to their roles – it’s not something that’s on the side.”
Public support: Prince George, reiterates a source who knows the family, is “a very down-to-earth young man”. “Mum and Dad give really careful consideration as to when and how to introduce all their children to royal work, and strike the balance with their normal lives….They should be confident about the years ahead. There are challenges, but they have been absolutely consistent about putting the family at the heart of everything they do, and the public supports them.”
“Previous generations of the Royal family weren’t renowned for their parenting skills…” I mean, I think Charles was a horrible father as well, a neglectful parent and a deadbeat to this day. But William did have a good parenting example with his mother – too bad he uses Diana’s life as a cautionary tale rather than a blueprint for disrupting the “Windsor way.” While Kate had a much more traditional and stable family life, it often feels like Carole sees herself as “managing” Kate, William and their children. I don’t know, none of us know. In the long-term, we’ll see if William and Kate’s child-rearing methods were all that different or better than previous generations.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
