Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis Are Banned From This "Off Limits" Behavior

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton waving on the balcony at Trooping the Colour 2024 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

When it comes to parenting Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9 and Prince Louis, 6, Prince William and Princess Kate seem to have mastered the art of discipline without drama. Forget the traditional "naughty step," because in the Wales household, misbehaving royals are reportedly directed to a "chat sofa"—and one behavior is deemed absolutely unacceptable at any time.

A source told the Sun's Fabulous magazine that the couple aren't fans of a "naughty step, but there is a chat sofa." The insider added, "The naughty child is 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."

In fact, yelling is a major no-no in their house. "Shouting is absolutely off limits for the children and any hint of shouting at each other is dealt with by removal," the source said.

The Princess of Wales is said to be "slightly stricter" than her husband, but they both work with their longtime nanny, Maria Borrallo, to ensure a united front. "Maria is firm but she never acts unilaterally with the children on discipline," the insider told Fabulous. The trained Norland nanny consults with the prince and princess so they can all be "strict with the children" while having "this magic ability to appear not to be."

Queen Elizabeth and Maria Borallo at Princess Charlotte's christening — The Wales family's nanny, Maria Borrallo, is seen speaking with the late Queen at Princess Charlotte's christening.

The Wales family kids showed off their personalities during Trooping the Colour 2019.

And in terms of banned words, Nanny Maria has her own. Louise Heren, author of Nanny in a Book, told the Mirror that Borrallo was trained not to use a word that most parents would never consider. "The word 'kid' is banned," Heren shared. "It's a mark of respect for the children as individuals."

As for life at Adelaide Cottage, the family's Windsor home, “It is a military operation but you would never guess it," an insider told Fabulous, adding the family works "ferociously hard on their children’s upbringing and making it seem relaxed and happy for the three of them."

"They are very good at listening to the children but being firm," the palace source explained.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.