Kate Middleton is Reportedly “Worried” by the Attention Paid to Prince Louis at the Platinum Jubilee

She and Prince William are trying to give their kids a sense of normalcy.

Prince Louis and Kate Middleton
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Her Majesty the Queen was the rightful star of the Platinum Jubilee in June—but a close second would be Prince Louis, with his excited waving, animated expressions, and cheeky antics. Louis—who just turned four a few weeks before the Jubilee—had, prior to the four-day event, not really seen much of the spotlight. Suddenly, after stealing the show, it was totally focused on him.

This would have worried mom Kate Middleton, says royal expert Ingrid Seward, as the Duchess of Cambridge wants to keep her three children normal and grounded. (Louis is the youngest of her trio, behind oldest sibling Prince George and middle child Princess Charlotte.) According to The Mirror, Kate and husband Prince William have carefully handled the public appearances of their three children, and Louis’ foray into the limelight might be concerning to an understandably protective mom.

“I think Kate has to wrap some semblance of normality around [their children], because she knows what [royal life] can do,” Seward says. “She’s seen it; she’s been around long enough…but they’re not normal children, and I think it’s extremely hard to keep their little feet on the ground.”

Take, for example, George—currently third in line to the throne. He is being introduced to royal life in a very different way than his father, William, was, as the Cambridges want to learn from what didn’t work well when William was a boy.

“William has curated George’s appearances in a completely different way from the way his mother and father curated his,” royal expert Richard Kay says. “William and Harry, particularly William, were thrust from a very young age center stage. William has taken a different view. He wants to protect [his children] for as long as possible, give them some semblance of a normal childhood. But, inevitably, as [George] gets older, we’re going to see more of him, in a jacket and tie, at Wimbledon as we did, and at Platinum Jubilee-type celebrations.”

As for Louis, extra attention paid to him now that the world has collectively fallen in love with him “is a danger Kate’s very aware of,” Seward says. “Louis at the Jubilee became a superstar, but that would have probably worried her a bit.”

Rachel Burchfield
Contributing Royal Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family. In addition to serving as the royal editor at Marie Claire, she has worked with publications like Vogue, Vanity Fair, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, and more. She cohosts Podcast Royal, a show that provides candid commentary on the biggest royal family headlines and offers segments on fashion, beauty, health and wellness, and lifestyle.