Prince William is determined to be as much a devoted father as he is the future monarch of the United Kingdom. At 44, the Prince of Wales, alongside his wife Kate Middleton, strives to provide their three children with a grounded upbringing that remains insulated from the glare of royal life. With this focus, they aim to create a “normal” family environment for 13-year-old Prince George, 11-year-old Princess Charlotte, and 8-year-old Prince Louis.
Continuing Princess Diana’s Legacy
William’s parenting style reflects the values instilled in him by his late mother, Princess Diana, who set a precedent for shielding her sons from the relentless scrutiny of the media. According to Simon Vigar, author of “The Four Wives of Windsor,” William is committed to continuing this legacy. He has made conscious choices to keep his children grounded rather than indulging them in the excesses often associated with royal life.
“Diana was the first person to make sure her boys had some sort of normal lifestyle, and that is continuing with the Wales children,” Vigar noted in an interview with Hello! Magazine.
Managing Digital Access
In a November 2025 interview with broadcaster Luciano Huck, Prince William shared the challenges he faces in keeping his children away from social media. He revealed that Prince George is not allowed to have a phone with internet access just yet, maintaining a cautious approach to digital exposure. William humorously suggested that, when George does receive a phone, it will likely be a simple “old sort of brick phone.”
“It’s really hard,” he admitted. “I think when George moves on to secondary school, then maybe he might have a phone that has no internet access. To be honest, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a tense issue. But I think he understands why; we communicate why we don’t think it’s right,” William elaborated on his parenting style.
Fostering Emotional Awareness
William and Kate also prioritize creating an emotionally supportive environment for their children, encouraging open discussions about feelings. In a 2017 interview with CALMZine, William stressed the importance of emotional literacy and communication within the family. “Catherine and I are clear that we want [our children] to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings,” he stated.
Echoing her husband’s sentiments, Kate Middleton further emphasized this philosophy in a 2023 interview with the “Shaping Us” campaign, asserting that emotional support takes precedence over material possessions. “The environment in which you bring up a child is as important as the experiences you engage them with,” she noted. “It’s not about the number of toys they’ve got or the number of sort of trips that you go on with them. It’s just making sure that they’ve got the right emotional support around them, and that comes from the adults in their lives.”
