Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Prince William and Princess Kate “Would Never” Say This Phrase To Prince George, Princess Charlotte, And Prince Louis

    “Dare I say it, in their family, it would never be the 'heir and spare'."

    Christine Ross#039;s avatar
    By Christine Ross
    Published 3 June 2026 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Prince William Princess Kate parenting
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Prince William and Princess Kate are extremely dedicated parents, often shaping their work schedules around school pick ups and soccer games. When it comes to childhood, they want their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—to have as normal a childhood as possible. While Princess Kate grew up in a normal, middle class suburb with picnics and at home birthday parties, Prince William grew up with the enormous pressure that he would one day be King.

    Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George at Trooping the Colour 2025

    Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis at Trooping the Colour 2025.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Prince George, Princess Kate, Prince Louis, Prince William and Prince Louis walking to school

    Prince William and Princess Kate take Prince Louis to his first day of school.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Prince William, Princess Kate, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George sitting in a field of flowers

    The Prince and Princess of Wales want their children to have as normal a childhood as possible.

    (Image credit: Josh Shinner/Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram)

    That pressure of Prince William’s future must have only bred tension between him and his brother, Prince Harry. Famously known as ‘the heir and the spare,’ Prince Harry was clearly upset by the comparisons—so much so that he titled his memoir Spare, a sniping comment towards his role within the Royal Family. Global parenting expert Jo Frost, famously known as the Supernanny, suspects Prince William and Princess Kate will raise their children in a different way.

    "I think William and Catherine understand the importance of nurturing the sibling relationships between the three of them,” Frost told Hello. Prince William and Princess Kate have already emphasized the importance of treating their children equally, doing as much as possible to give each child equal attention and importance when they are in public. “Dare I say it, in their family, it would never be the 'heir and spare'. It would be about the importance of all of them.”

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Princess Kate bakes cupcakes with her children

    Home life is surprisingly normal.

    (Image credit: Kensington Palace)

    Prince William Princess Kate anniversary photo

    “Dare I say it, in their family, it would never be the 'heir and spare'."

    (Image credit: Matt Porteous/Kensington Royal)

    "The understanding that it really takes a team, with the important roles in upholding the crown and the monarchy,” Frost said of the future of the British Royal Family. When Prince George is eventually King, he will want his brother and sister at his side carrying on as working members of the Royal Family. “We're seeing these very early seeds now, with respect to what it means to support each other and to nurture together."

    Jo Frost believes that their home life is key to nurturing those relationships. "They have a lovely balance of that and behind closed doors, no doubt they're playing games and winding each other up as siblings do, teasing each other, having fun and baking cookies and being out in nature,” Frost said. This image of a happy, messy, normal home life was recently echoed by Katie Nicholl, who wrote “We can just imagine that Forest Lodge will be a home with muddy boots outside, dogs and kids running in and out of the garden, something lovely cooking on the stove.”

    You may like
    • Prince William Princess Kate Royal Source Reveals Prince William and Princess Kate’s Unprecedented Choice for Prince George Is "Strategic"
    • Prince William sitting in the stands at the Commonwealth Games talking to Prince Louis and Prince George Prince William Follows in One Unexpected Royal’s Parenting Footsteps
    • Prince William wears red military uniform and has a bald head and a beard, and stands next to wife Princess Middleton who wears a baby blue coat dress and matching hat, and their three kids Prince William Jokes About George, Charlotte, and Louis
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Prince William Prince George Princess Charlotte Prince Louis
    Christine Ross
    Christine Ross
    Social Links Navigation
    Writer

    Christine Ross is a freelancer writer, royal expert, broadcaster and podcaster. She's worked with news outlets including the BBC, Glamour, Talk TV, ET, PBS, CNN and 20/20 to cover the foremost royal events of the last decade, from Prince George’s birth to the coronation of King Charles III.

    She previously served as co-host of Royally Us, a weekly royal podcast by Us Weekly. As a freelance writer and royal commentator she provides expert commentary, historical context and fashion analysis about royal families worldwide, with an emphasis on the British Royal Family.

    Read more
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals How Kate and William Have "Chosen Schools" for Their Kids
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Are Taking A “Wait-and-See Approach” To Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s UK Move
    By Christine Ross
    Prince George smiling in a white button up shirt
    Royals For Prince George, Eton Offers the Chance to “Stand on His Own”
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
     
     
    Princess Anne wearing a coat and paisley scarf
    Royals Princess Anne Gets a "Round of A-Paws" from Sheep Dogs in Timeless Paisley Look
    Meghan Markle wearing a blue striped shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Transforms Her Wardrobe from California to Cotswolds
     
     
    Latest in News
    Ayo Edebiri 2026 Emmys red carpet
    Celebrity Style Ayo Edebiri Sticks to Her Winning Red Carpet Formula at the Emmys
    a white woman in a gold dress with dark brown hair
    Nails Selena Gomez's 2026 Emmys Manicure Is All About a "Frosted Sunset" Finish
     
     
    US actress Zendaya presents the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award to US actress Jean Smart onstage during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026.
    Culture We're Tracking Every Can't-Miss Moment From the 2026 Emmys
    Grace Gummer and Louisa Jacobson red carpet looks at the 2026 Emmy Awards
    Celebrity Style Meryl Streep's Daughters Make Their Mom Proud on the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.