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'."

Prince William Princess Kate parenting
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.”

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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.”

Christine Ross
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.