Prince William and Kate Middleton's non-negotiable parenting rules including strict ban

The Prince and Princess of Wales are proud and dedicated parents of their three young children - Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10 and seven-year-old Prince Louis. Over the years, Prince William and Princess Kate have spoken candidly about their parenting rules and techniques, with Supernanny Jo Frost even praising their “grounded” approach to raising their children.

But raising three young royals is no mean feat, with William and Kate implementing a series of non-negotiable parenting rules to keep their children’s lives as normal as possible, while also involving them in occasional public appearances to prepare the children for their royal futures. From staying offline to getting involved in household chores, here are the rules that George, Charlotte and Louis must adhere to behind closed doors...

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No phones allowed

During William’s candid chat with Eugene Levy during his appearance on The Reluctant Traveller, William revealed that his three children are not allowed to have mobile phones.

When talking about their family routines, William said that he and Kate are “very strict” on George, Charlotte and Louis when it comes to remaining offline. He said: “None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about.”

While the revelation of the young royals not having any phones came as a shock to some, given that the eldest Wales child George is only 12 years old and is not yet at secondary school, many praised William and Kate’s decision to keep their kids protected.

Dinner as a family

While William and Eugene wandered around the grounds of Windsor Castle, the prince said that it is an important daily tradition for the family to eat dinner together and talk about their days.

Eugene quizzed William about his day-to-day routines as he asked: “Do you all sit down at the dinner table together?” to which William responded: “Yep absolutely, yep definitely. So, we sit and chat, it’s really important.”

Keeping life as normal as possible

William admitted to Eugene Levy that “Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important,” as he and Kate strive to provide a normal upbringing for their children, despite their royal privilege.

He said: “For me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.”

Royal expert Katie Nicholl previously commented on George, Charlotte and Louis’ upbringing, saying that behind closed doors, the Wales children are no different to young siblings around the .

She told the : “They are far more ordinary than many might imagine – the kids even have to do chores in return for their pocket money. It's about them wanting to have a normal, happy, ordinary family home and lifestyle which, at Adelaide Cottage, they are really achieving."

School run schedules

William said that despite both his and Kate’s royal duties, they like to be the ones to drop their children at school and pick them up at the end of the day.

He said: "I do try to stick to school timetables as best as possible. So, most days we're in and out of school doing pick-ups and drop-offs."

The Prince and Princess of Wales have long been praised for their dedication to the school run, with fellow parents of Lambrook children admiring their punctuality at the school gate despite their royal duties.

Open and honest communication

While discussing how the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis affected George, Charlotte and Louis, William shared that his family have always had an open dialogue about life’s difficult situations.

He said: "We’re a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but you never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have. It’s just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is okay."

William added: "Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for these sorts of things, and children are constantly learning and adapting,” saying that the children have managed “brilliantly well” in the wake of Kate’s health battle.

Their nanny doesn’t live with them

William and Kate famously have no live-in nanny that resides in their house permanently to help with the children, with the decision coming down to hoping to keep the children’s lives as family-focused as possible.

Katie Nicholl previously told the Mirror that the Wales children are “expected to muck in” around the house, contributing to chores like any other child. Another royal source also added: "I think it would surprise people to see how ordinary things are at home.”

"The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they've finished eating and helping with tidying up. There's no preferential treatment."

George, Charlotte and Louis do have a full-time nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, who does not reside in Adelaide Cottage.

No raised voices

While William and Kate have always encouraged their children to be open and honest, one key rule in the Wales house is that there can be no shouting during difficult conversations.

"Shouting is absolutely 'off limits' for the children and any hint of shouting at each other is dealt with by removal," a source told The Sun in June 2020. William and Kate will then use these moments of 'removal' as an opportunity to talk through feelings in a 'chat sofa'.

The idea is that instead of the children having alone time with their thoughts and feelings, a parent is there to help them understand what has unfolded, and how to properly articulate how they are feeling in a calm way.

The no-shouting rule also applies to the couple when they are disciplining George, Charlotte and Louis, as the insider told the publication: "They are taken away from the scene of the row or disruption and talked to calmly by either Kate or William. Things are explained, and consequences outlined, and they never shout at them.”