The "Important" Work Prince William Is Doing to Avoid "Setting Up" George, Charlotte, and Louis for a "Hard Time" in the Future

"My parents got divorced at 8, so that lasted a short period of time."

Prince William and Kate Middleton laugh at Trooping the Colour on June 14, 2025, as their children, Prince Louis, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony
(Image credit: Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo)

During an appearance on Apple TV+ show The Reluctant Traveler, Prince William addressed a plethora of surprising topics. As well as discussing some of the "funny" comments tourists have made at Windsor Castle, the Prince of Wales spoke about how he's attempting to prepare his children for success, not failure.

Speaking to host Eugene Levy, William explained (via People) that he tries to maintain stability at home for his three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. "I do try and stick to school timetables as best as possible," William noted. "So, most days we're in and out of school doing pick-ups and drop-offs."

Prince William continued, "Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important." The royal elaborated, "Because, 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."

Prince Louis, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Kate on the balcony during Trooping the Colour

"So, most days we're in and out of school doing pick-ups and drop-offs."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William also revealed that his late mother, Princess Diana, "definitely" influenced the way he's raising his children. "I think it's really important that that atmosphere is created at home," he shared. "You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love."

The Prince of Wales continued, "That all has to be there, and that was certainly part of my childhood...My parents got divorced [when I was] 8, so that lasted a short period of time."

Princess Diana wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jacket with Prince Harry and Prince William on a log flume

"You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

William revealed that his mom and dad's split impacted the way he decided to raise his own kids. "You take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don't do the same mistakes as your parents," William told Levy. "I think we all try and do that and I just want to do what's best for my children, but I know that the drama and the stress when you're small really affects you when you're older."

It's clear that George, Charlotte, and Louis remain Prince William's priority.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.